The Foundation

"It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." --John Adams

Essential Liberty

2012-07-03-independence

In honor of the establishment and preservation of Essential Liberty, we offer a few remarks from a young American Patriot standing watch on the front lines in Afghanistan, followed by insights from our Founding Fathers, as fitting reminders of the constant vigil which must be maintained in defense of Liberty.

Wisdom from the Warfront -- Enemies Foreign and Domestic:

"As an officer who faces combat challenges daily, and who has experienced my share of heartache in defense of our great nation in accordance with my oath, it pains me to see our elected 'leaders' so willfully defy their oaths to support our Constitution. But, war has taught me that we just take today at our best, because we never know what tomorrow will bring.

"The seemingly insurmountable battle to salvage what is left of American Liberty simply means God will provide a great movement and great leaders to get the job done in His timing. While we may see no solution, it's undoubtedly already in the making and I can only pray that He continues to use me in His service, along with all the other great Americans Patriots across our country.

"Battles would not be great and triumphant if they were easy. The more the Left undermines Rule of Law, the more glorious the reconstitution and restoration will be, the mightier the battle, and the mightier the men who will fight it. I simply pray that I continue to grow in strength and ability to fight that war, just as I am fighting this one, and that God preserves me to do so. God provided us with the means and the personal example to triumph over the greatest of evils, He has provided us with the solutions to our own problems and we simply must trust it is within His plan.

"Keep fighting the good fight, do not despair on the 4th of July, but celebrate that Providence provided us with the greatest blueprint for governments among men in 1789, with the spirit of 1776. As Alexander Hamilton said, 'The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the Hand of Divinity itself, and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.' Our rights are only referenced by the Declaration, but endowed by our Creator, and as such, are self-evident. Obama cannot erase them and long after we are dead and gone, the rights of man will be preserved in the essence of God's creation available only through reflection in His gift of reason. Evil ultimately will not prevail -- we are blueprinted with Victory."

Support Our Uniformed Patriots

"Regarding the fact that you do not seek support from members of our nation's Armed Forces, let me, as a member of the Military, thank you for the support you have given us." --Chief, USN

The Patriot Post is a beacon of Liberty kept bright by the generous support of Patriots nationwide. We do not ask for aid from the ranks of our military, student or mission field Patriots, or those who are financially struggling. Our mission is, in part, to serve them. If you are not among those groups, please help us with that mission, and moreover, help us to enlist evermore Patriots to our ranks.

There is 1 day left to raise the remaining $128,500 needed for our 2012 Independence Day Campaign. As of this morning, we are about 33 percent behind where we need to be to make budget. If you are able, please support The Patriot Post and its mission today. If you prefer to support us by mail, please send your check with our printable donor form.

Thank You! Mark Alexander, Publisher

Timeless Wisdom of our Founders:

In our 1775 "Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms" Thomas Jefferson wrote, "Honor, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us." These words sum up our duty to extend the legacy of Liberty to our posterity.

A year later, the first Commander of our armed forces, George Washington, in his General Orders to his Patriot warriors, wrote, "Remember officers and soldiers, that you are Freemen, fighting for the blessings of Liberty -- that slavery will be your portion, and that of your posterity, if you do not acquit yourselves like men." This is the standing order for every generation of Patriots.

"This was the object of the Declaration of Independence. Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take." --Thomas Jefferson

"All that I have, and all that I am and all that I hope to be in life I am now ready to stake upon it; and I leave off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish, I am for the declaration." --John Adams at the signing of the Declaration of Independence

"In Europe, charters of liberty have been granted by power. America has set the example ... of charters of power granted by liberty. This revolution in the practice of the world, may, with an honest praise, be pronounced the most triumphant epoch of its history, and the most consoling presage of its happiness." --James Madison

"The value of liberty was thus enhanced in our estimation by the difficulty of its attainment, and the worth of characters appreciated by the trial of adversity." --George Washington

"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" --Patrick Henry

"[I]t is a common observation here that our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own." --Benjamin Franklin

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it." --Thomas Paine

"[T]he flames kindled on the 4 of July 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them." --Thomas Jefferson

Our Founders closed the Declaration with these words: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

They were: John Hancock. Button Gwinnett. Lyman Hall. George Walton. William Hooper. Joseph Hewes. John Penn. Edward Rutledge. Thomas Heyward Jr. Thomas Lynch Jr. Arthur Middleton. Samuel Chase. William Paca. Thomas Stone. Charles Carroll of Carrollton. George Wythe. Richard Henry Lee. Thomas Jefferson. Benjamin Harrison. Thomas Nelson, Jr. Francis Lightfoot Lee. Carter Braxton. Robert Morris. Benjamin Rush. Benjamin Franklin. John Morton. George Clymer. James Smith. George Taylor. James Wilson. George Ross. Caesar Rodney. George Read. Thomas McKean. William Floyd. Philip Livingston. Francis Lewis. Lewis Morris. Richard Stockton. John Witherspoon. Francis Hopkinson. John Hart. Abraham Clark. Josiah Bartlett. William Whipple. Samuel Adams. John Adams. Robert Treat Paine. Elbridge Gerry. Stephen Hopkins. William Ellery. Roger Sherman. Samual Huntington. William Williams. Oliver Wolcott. Matthew Thornton.

Many of those signers did in fact lose their "Lives" and "Fortunes" during the war, as did thousands of patriots who sacrificed their Prosperity for their Posterity. Of the Signers, 17 served in the military, 11 had their homes destroyed, 5 were hunted and captured, and 9 died during the war. George Walton was wounded and captured at the Battle of Savannah. Thomas Heyward, Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge were made prisoners at the Siege of Charleston. Richard Stockton was dragged from his bed at night and jailed. John Hart's home was looted and he had to remain in hiding. Lewis Morris had his home taken and used as a barracks. Philip Livingston lost several properties to British occupation and died before the war ended. Abraham Clark had two sons imprisoned on the British starving ship Jersey. John Witherspoon's son, James, was killed in the Battle of Germantown. Francis Lewis' wife was imprisoned and treated harshly, so that she died not long after her release. Thomas Nelson's home was bombarded. Carter Braxton lost his fortune. Thomas McKean wrote that he was "hunted like a fox by the enemy, compelled to remove my family five times in three month."

When Samuel Adams signed the Declaration, he said: "We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come."

Amen!

For those who don't get it...I invoke the words of Samuel Adams: "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

We invite you to read again our Declaration of Independence.

Editor's Note: Our publishing offices will be closed on Wednesday so no Chronicle will be posted. Standby for Mark Alexander's essay, The Imperial Presidency, which will be posted Thursday. Have a blessed and safe Independence Day!

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team