REASONS FOR A REVOLUTION

 Well, here it is...Fourth of July time again. Time to get out the ol' red, white and blue bunting and drape it over the window sill. To fire up that barbecue grill you bought on sale at Wal-Mart last fall and cook up a slew of hamburgers and hot dogs for friends and neighbors and wash it all down with a few cold beers. Maybe you'll take the kids to watch the local fireworks display after the sun goes down. Or maybe there'll even be a parade on the main street of your town in honor of the day on which the Declaration of Independence was signed. Yup, it's time for all those things. It's the Fourth of July. Again. 2014.

But you know what else it's time for? It's time to wake up and realize that in the 238 years since Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration Of Independence and he and fifty-four other brave Colonists attached their signatures to it, this country has come dangerously close to returning to the very same situation that drove the founding fathers to demand freedom from the oppressive forces that were crippling and demeaning their hopes and dreams and aspirations. Think I'm overstating things a bit? Fine. But before you take that thought to the bank, think about the following...

In writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson gave four good reasons underscoring the need for a revolution. The first was his concern that freedom of religion might be compromised by the continued authority of the Church of England. Because the King was the official head of the Church, Jefferson and the other colonists who signed the Declaration feared that they would eventually be forced to adhere to the rules and stipulations of what was, in essence, a state religion. Perhaps you're thinking...well, so what? Fear of an unjustly imposed state religion might have been a valid concern back in 1776, but no one's trying to impose anything like that on the citizens of this country now. But hold on a minute. Think about it. Is that really true? The current Obama-led administration may not be trying to force Americans to join a specific religion, but is its fervor to dismiss the idea that a belief in a Judeo-Christian God is at the core of our country's constitutional make-up really so very different? The Obama administration has shown time and time again its willingness to bend over backwards to accommodate the religious beliefs of Muslim immigrants while at the same time doing its best to marginalize and even nullify the Christian beliefs of other Americans. You need space in a public building to roll out your prayer rug and honor Allah? No problem! But try hanging a cross on the wall of your office in that same building or setting up a nativity scene at Christmas. I daresay you won't exactly find it easy going. So, no...maybe there is no plan to institute a state religion in this country. But the fact that many Americans are not free to display in public the images of their chosen belief system is religious oppression all the same.

The second reason given in the Declaration for the need for rebellion was the King's insistence on disregarding the authority of colonial legislatures and inserting his own officers into positions of authority. Do I even have to name names here? Never has an American president exhibited so little regard for states' rights or the other two branches of government when it comes to making decisions that affect the lives of this country's citizens. Hell, who needs to consult Congress when you've got "a phone and a pen" handy? And don't even get me started on the secretive machinations that have characterized this administration from its outset. Lies, twisted truths, doubletalk...and that's just the stuff we know about! The sweeping influx of illegal immigrants into this country over the last month is only one of the many, many symptoms of a lawless, unrepentant presidential regime that makes its own rules and a Congress more interested in preserving its own incumbency than in protecting and preserving this country's borders and way of life.

The third reason that Jefferson gave for rebellion was the Crown's bought and paid for judiciary system. Is it really so hard to see the correlation with this one when it comes to the way that Obama has set up the current court system? Partisan in the extreme, the officials in the current American court system are often the recipients of appointments and promotions bestowed upon them by our would-be king, Mr. Obama.

The fourth reason for rebellion is a whopper...and scarily close to what is happening in this country today. The founding fathers did not want the King's standing army to be part of the colonial landscape. Tired of British soldiers and foreign mercenaries being used to enforce the King's illegal laws, they demanded an end to their presence within this country's borders. Don't we need to do that now? Am I the only American upset and angry over the fact that Obama regularly employs his own people to enforce his illegal laws? Congressmen and women have been turned away when they have attempted to gain entrance into the border holding centers where the illegal immigrants are being housed and fed at the expense of taxpayers. Doctors are threatened with arrest if they discuss the situation with reporters. Apparently, in the current administration, the only rules and rights that matter are the ones that benefit Obama and his cronies...not the ones that were written into the Constitution to ensure the rights and privileges of the American people.

So, what's the answer? Another revolution? I don't know, but it sure as hell is time to at least think about the reasons that we celebrate the Fourth of July in the first place. And maybe...just maybe....while you're washing down that hamburger with a cold beer...to read the Declaration of Independence.