Issue 37.15
Before we talk about specifics, I am going to encourage all freedom loving citizens to attend a free event on Friday September 11th in Saint George. It will be held at 7:00 PM in the Washington County Council Chambers in the old County Building on 200 East and Tabernacle. The featured speaker will be Jim Noorlander.
Jim Noorlander was a candidate for US House of Representatives in 2006 and 2008 and has been very active in political and spiritual thought and actions for much of his life. He has spoken to national political conventions about the Declaration of Independence, and about liberty and freedom and what is different about them. He shares with his listeners a number of specific ideas and actions that each of us can do to preserve and restore the freedoms that we hold dear and that we are rapidly losing. Please take time for this important event.
Now to the topic at hand. I have been faced with a number of people who have told me that they have given up on the American political process. They have decided not to vote, not to attend political events, not to comment or complain publicly about injustice and corruption – just sit back and live with it. To be fair, some of them have paid a price for past actions and expressions of the things they believe in. There is corruption and those in power don’t like it when you say “the emperor has no clothes”.
I think that is a temptation for many of us. First because we don’t think we can make a difference. Second because things seem to get worse in spite of our efforts. Third because we do fear for ourselves, our families and our well-being if we “rock the boat”. Finally and mostly, I believe it is because we don’t know what we can do that might actually make a difference.
When the government makes decisions that are counter to the principles of freedom that our nation was founded upon and when the courts up to and including the Supreme Court defend those actions and twist the law to support them, it is discouraging. In the face of the power of the bureaucracy we all face, it is daunting to say the least.
I however reject the idea that it is okay to give up. I believe we individually are responsible to do what we can to promote, sustain and protect both Liberty and Freedom. For some of us that might mean running for public office, even though we might be defeated. We do this because it gives us a forum to teach people the correct principles. For some, we comment on radio talk shows, in the opinion pages or other public media such as facebook, etc. This gives people a chance to hear the concepts of freedom. For others, they may serve on the local town, school or county boards where our voices can be heard and we can stand in opposition to actions that threaten individual liberty.
What do all of these have in common? Education! Each of these actions is an effort to help others understand and act on sacred patriotic principles. There was an ancient civilization that was beginning to collapse because of corruption. The leader was unable to turn the tide because of the other leaders that were corrupt. He resigned his position and spent the rest of his life teaching the people the concepts that would bring back truth and fairness and rightness to their government. I am simply asking that each of us see what we can do to educate family, friends, neighbors and others. That is the only way we can turn the tide today as well.
Inviting and taking people to hear Jim Noorlander on September 11th is one way to help accomplish that task of educating and inspiring the people around us. It doesn’t even require that we individually do the teaching. In many ways it is the least we can do.
Lynn West is a thinker, a teacher and a patriot. You can reach him through email at forgingthefuture2021@gmail.com or through this newspaper. Liberty is a state of being which must be continually created. These articles can help all of us discover the ways we can contribute to that outcome.