Hi folks, I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day, and enjoy the long weekend many of you will have this weekend.  So, did you finish your homework?  I know I did last night, and was surprised that it took less than an hour to read The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and all the amendments.  It was fairly boring, but, as my husband pointed out, it's not high adventure, but an instruction manual on how to run a country.

This is supposed to be an interactive process, so I hope to hear from all of you on what you learned as you read these documents that founded our country, and made it the incredible nation it is today.  I realized as I was settling down to read, that sadly I have not read any of these documents in full since the 8th grade.  I find that a little disturbing looking back, as I had American History and Government in high school, and do not remember once touching on the most important documents in our history.

I had several observations that hit me as I read through the Constitution most especially, but those will be for tomorrow's column.  Tonight, I want to focus on the Declaration of Independence.

This passage in praticular is what we as citizens of this awesome Republic should be focusing on:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

First, the government does NOT give you your rights.  Your Creator gives you your rights, and governments are instituted by men to SECURE these rights, not confer them.  Governments derive their powers from the people they govern, not the other way around.  The next little bit, about instituting a new government and organizing its powers refers more to what the Founders did, and how very carefully they constructed our Constitution so as not to leave us open to the kinds of abuses they were fighting against.  They did a great job, but it is time to bring our government back to its founding principles.  The last line brings us to the point of this column.  When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces designs to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is the right, it is the DUTY, to throw off such Government, and provide new Guards for their future security.

Please do not read this wrong.  I am NOT advocating a violent overthrow of our government.  I am NOT advocating rebellion.  What I am saying is that as citizens of this country, it is incumbent upon us, it is our DUTY, to throw off the aspects of our government that are steadily trying to reduce us to servitude, and provide new guards for our future security.  Our Founding Fathers did a pretty excellent job in leaving us the ability to do so without resorting to an armed revolution.  They ensured our right to vote, and they ensured our right to petition our government for redress when it gets out of line.  The reason that there are so many abuses of power in Washington, and so much corruption and waste is not because the system is broken.  It is because we as citizens have thrown up our hands and said "Well that's the way it is," "You can't fight City Hall," "You can't change the way Washington runs," "I'm just one person, what can I do about it," and so forth.  For far too long, we have forgotten to remind our representatives that they work for us.  Worse, we have slowly allowed the government to assume responsibilities that were once reserved for the people, and have thus allowed them to remove our rights.  It is time for that to change.

So, here is your next bit of homework, keeping in mind what you learned from your reading assignment, and I really do hope to hear from some of you on what you discovered.  Over the next day, it is time for you to do some soul searching.  Figure out what you stand for, what you believe the roll of government should be, and what issues are important to you.  I do not care, personally, what those issues are.  I am not advocating in this column any particular view point (although I probably will in later columns).  I am writing on a conservative site at the moment, but this message is not for conservatives.  It is not for liberals, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, or any other political group.  This message is for all Americans.  I am an American, and I want my country to remain strong, prosperous, and a beacon of hope around the world.  In order for that to happen, her citizens are required to be responsible for their governance, and to hold their representatives responsible.  But in order for that to happen, each individual must know what they believe, what they stand for, and be willing to stand for those beliefs.  So take a little time, I'll be back with you tomorrow, figure out what your priorities are when it comes to sound government, and please, if you have a minute let me know.  The nation can't move forward without healthy debate, and sound goals and ideas.  That debate and those ideas must start with us the people, in order for our government to implement them. 

Until tomorrow, have a blessed and peaceful night.