Liberty: Dictionary.com has several definitions listed.\u00a0 Here are the two I think most applicable.<\/p>\n
freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Liberty: There was a man once who made a very famous statement on the subject.\u00a0 That man was Patrick Henry. His statement was “Give me liberty or give me death”.\u00a0 He obviously had strong feelings about the subject.<\/p>\n
Liberty:\u00a0 France once gave us a statue.\u00a0 It currently sits in New York harbor.\u00a0 You may have seen it.\u00a0 It’s called The Statue of Liberty.\u00a0 It stands as a symbol of freedom and liberty to the world.\u00a0 I suppose France could have kept it for themselves or given it to some other country – they didn’t.<\/p>\n
Liberty:\u00a0 There is a rather famous document that says our Creator endowed us with certain inalienable rights.\u00a0 Liberty is one of three mentioned by name.\u00a0 This document is one of the most profound in all of human history and is foundational to our nation’s very existence.<\/p>\n
Men and women have bled and died for the sake of liberty.<\/p>\n
People have come and continue to come to our shores by the thousands in search of liberty.\u00a0 Some risking their lives to do so.<\/p>\n
Ours is not a nation without faults.\u00a0 But still a mere glance across the history of the last two centuries shows we have used our liberty well and have been largely a force for good in the world.<\/p>\n
A precious individual right of self-determination.\u00a0 A dream-come-true for the oppressed.\u00a0 A hope for those who would be free.\u00a0 A hallmark of these United States Of America.<\/p>\n
Our nation now stands on the brink of a new era, soon to be led by a man who by word and deed has indicated he does not hold individual liberty in such high esteem.\u00a0 We are asked to support this man.\u00a0 We are asked to reconcile differences and heal wounds.\u00a0 We are asked to believe in change. I don’t know about his coming change, but I do know a little about liberty.\u00a0 And who among us believes when this man is finished with his promised change that liberty will remain as strong then as it is now?\u00a0 And who will be left among us to stand in defense of liberty when so many will lie beholden to the governmental yoke?\u00a0 Can we even imagine Patrick Henry’s words being uttered by those who are about to occupy the halls of leadership?<\/p>\n
Does this sound corny and melodramatic? Do you imagine you can hear The Battle Hymn of the Republic being whistled in the background like some cheesy soundtrack?\u00a0 Funny, what I hear are the voices of those who we honor today – veterans.\u00a0 These for whom the word liberty is more than a statue, document, or dictionary definition.\u00a0 Those for whom liberty was precious enough that they were willing to die to protect it. In the next four years I suppose we shall see how precious liberty is to the rest of us.<\/p>\n
Thank you, all veterans.\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0 I pray your sacrifice was not in vain.<\/p>\n
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