“LIBERTY, ONCE LOST, IS LOST FOREVER”

I had the privilege yesterday of having dinner at Gadsby’s Tavern in Olde Towne Alexandria VA (the pictures are for the trolls who keep accusing me of lying). Gadsby’s has been a tavern under various ownerships since the 1770’s and was frequented by our founding fathers; George Washington and John Adams particularly. The floor in the tavern is made from wood planks off ships that once carried the first Americans to the colonies. I was humbled by the historic significance and found myself thinking about the conditions in the colonies that preceded the American Revolution. I wondered what our founders would think of the nation that we have become. Those men… that risked so much to stand up in defiance of tyranny were extraordinary. Washington, Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Hancock… all very wealthy landowners and businessmen. Each had mastered the economic environment of the time and managed to amass great wealth. They could have very easily continued to work the system under British rule and grown their fortunes, but they didn’t. They witnessed the rights of common businessmen and ordinary citizens being trampled by a parliament made up of career politicians who cared nothing for the people and decided to act. They were compelled by their faith and moral code to protect the rights of the less fortunate. They risked losing everything to fight for change; wealthy career businessmen standing up to wealthy career politicians on behalf of their fellow citizens. They believed in their cause so much they committed high treason and would have certainly been put to death had we not won the war. That was the measure of their resolve. I think about that as Donald J Trump faces indictment. Interesting similarities. Our predecessors rebelled against taxation, inflation, and the lack of political representation. Those were the topics that generated enough outrage to inspire an armed uprising. Those same topics have been a serious problem since the 1990s; worsening under Democratic administrations. The triggers of the American Revolution are already in our rearview mirror, and we have let them pass by. Now, we face a much more sinister problem: the battle for the soul of our nation. Perversion is popular, and the danger is the silent majority, going with the flow and letting things slowly worsen. John Adams, 2nd President of the United States said “If conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world are of little value.” That means if you know in your heart something is wrong, it doesn’t matter what popular opinion is. Stand by your beliefs! He also said “Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.” At this moment, we are teetering on the edge of losing our liberty. What are you prepared to do about it? I wonder how history will write about us someday.