LTTE Independence Day 4 July 2006

[rickrok66]

Yes, the meaning is lost and The Lawton Constitution doesn’t have a clue where it is. I am referring to the Independence Day editorial, “Meaning Lost? Independence Day needs revitalization”.

Americans don’t need to look for organizations to join, demand parades, and read proclamations as suggested. If you want jingoistic nonsense and right wing propaganda, then listen to talk radio or watch one of the 24 hour news channels for any length of time - after you plow through all the debt related and erectile dysfunction commercials.

Independence Day is not about shooting fireworks, listening to poorly written country-western music, and eating freedom fries. Revitalization needs to go in the opposite direction.

Americans should reflect on the fact that or country has survived 230 years, because of its value on the rule of law and system of government. The shared history of common law with England goes back to the signing of the Magna Charta almost 800 years ago. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are key milestones and a culmination of legal thought that started with King John’s barons to Lord Blackstone’s commentaries on to our founding fathers.

Americans must remember that values such as the rights of the accused are special to our experience. Innocent until proven guilty, the right to representation, the right to a fair and speedy trial, and the right a person shouldn’t be held by the state without being charged (habeas corpus) make up the foundation of our democracy. On the governance level, the separation of powers, the systems of check and balances, and the recognition that all three branches of government are equal have always been the catalyst to self correct abuses in government and thus strengthen our republic.

Rights and concepts such as a free press which developed during the Revolutionary Period and the right to habeas corpus which came to us from England after the English Civil War need to be valued. They shouldn’t be attacked because someone expresses dissent or the concept doesn’t currently support the state’s interests.

The editors show that they are victims of disorganized thinking in the two middle paragraphs. First, the colonial patriots were not free market republicans and Christian fundamentalists as claimed by the editors. If you want another perspective, a true perspective, then read Thomas Paine’s, The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason. One can also read Thomas Jefferson’s version of the Bible. The editors go on to assert that religion is under attack in our country. This is a country where 85% of the population claims to be Christian and like 90% believe in god. I wonder where these attacks are happening. If they are referring to the so called War on Christmas, then perhaps they should have titled this piece, “The War on Christmas in July Sale”. Equating George III with someone who believed in socialism and big government is evidence that the education system has failed the editors. It is a natural progression of legal thought to expand rights from the political to the economic and social spheres. Universal health care and government regulations are found in democracies that serve the public’s interests. The U.S. Constitution is a living document and so is the concept of common law in this country. Conservatives often freeze the works of the founders in time and cannot make that leap that we can expand democracy and make it better.

This country survived because it valued the rule of law and the system of checks and balances in the government. Otherwise, Independence Day becomes another day to shoot fireworks, listen to poorly written country western music, and eat freedom fries.