The Gift of Liberty

July 3, 2009

Tomorrow is America’s 233^rd birthday. Have you bought her a present? What would you give to a country?

The founders gave us liberty, but liberty is not a one-time gift. It must constantly be renewed by each generation and sometimes within generations.

The temptation is great to trade liberty for phony security. Thinking that big government will take care of you, rather than you taking care of yourself, is a constant snare. The appeal to help the afflicted, the downtrodden, the phony with the “homeless combat veteran, please help, God bless” signs plays to our emotions rather than our head.

Liberty is not the natural state of humankind; otherwise there would be more of it. Our fallen nature leads us to dictate and dominate. But just as God wants us to be ultimately free in Christ, we ought to wish to be free – and remain free – in our nation. The socialists now running our government see it differently. This July 4th would be a good time for the rest of us to plot our comeback and this time, do it right. Happy birthday America. I hope you have many more… in liberty.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.