So, these past few days I’ve been a bit out of touch with things going on in the world. Sometimes, particularly around the holidays, it’s nice to remove myself from the contention and struggles going on in the political and social world.
When friends and family say that they are just avoiding the news because they’re tired of it all, I chuckle because, I understand but I don’t have that option. I’ve chosen a career and passion that requires I stay engaged, informed and waist deep in the muck that is currently our political world.
However, from time to time, I do like to remove myself from the muck and think about anything but politics. That is what I did over this Thanksgiving holiday and it was lovely. However, now that I’m sitting here, considering what to write for my blog post today, I’m realizing, I need to re-enter the muck.
I’ve had a break, and sometimes that helps a bit with perspective. I figured today I’d share with you some pearls of wisdom from our founders. I hope they encourage, motivate and educate you.
One: “Always stand on principle…even if you stand alone.” – John Adams
I’ve found that Americans have been slowly bleeding out this sentiment over the past years. Slowly, but steadily, more and more Americans cower and capitulate to the small but aggressive cancel culture mob of the 21st century. We’ve seen a rare few individuals who have expressed their principled beliefs about something, been castigated, and stood their ground. Almost anyone who expresses a belief contrary to the elite progressive agenda now prominent in mainstream media is immediately torn to shreds— and usually ends up giving in to the mob.
If the founders would have done this, the United States would never have been a country. Those who wanted to fight for liberty against the King were in the minority for much of the time leading up to the revolution. Those who fought for the Constitution and Bill of Rights, had to fight against stout opposition. Nothing comes easy in a free country, but the sentiment Adam’s expressed here is what makes this country great.
Men are free to express and stand upon principled beliefs. Today, this truth is becoming less and less of a reality. It is our job as liberty loving Americans to stand for our beliefs no matter the outcome. We may find that, in the near future, standing up for what is right, or for what we believe, will cost us dearly. But, it is this mere willingness to stand upon principle that has made America what it is.
We must never forget that.
Two: “If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” ‘ Thomas Jefferson
I love this quote. It bucks every socialist, progressive norm. It supposes that people are in control of their lives and their own success. Today, it’s becoming more and more popular to shirk responsibility by blaming the “system” or the “patriarchy” or any number of various examples. America was not founded on the idea that humans are not responsible for their own successes and failures. In fact, American was founded on the complete opposite assumption: that Americans were responsible for their own successes and failures. This is why the founders were so careful in their set up of the government. Their actions would determine the success or failure of their fledging nation.
This idea of personal responsibility and ambition has pervaded the American psyche and culture since the founding and is the reason that America has led the way in the industrialization and modernization of the world. Americans were free to and expected to solve the unsolvable. If there was something Americans wanted, it was incumbent upon them to figure out a way to attain the previously unattainable.
Today, we must fight to keep that American spirit alive. Many Americans are too fat and happy or to disgruntled and angry to be willing to do something they’ve never done. Today, Americans want everything they’ve never had without doing anything they’ve never done. Instead, they’d rather blame others for what they lack.
We must fight to keep what we now have, even if it means doing something we’ve never done.
Three: “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” – James Madison
I’ll end with this quote because it is the quote most dear to me. My goal is to perpetuate the advancement and diffusion of knowledge. That is the point of the Liberty Belle. I find that many Americans, even those who are generally well-informed, still lack some of the most essential nuggets of knowledge necessary to guard true liberty.
Why does Madison say this? How can knowledge guard liberty and how can lack of knowledge lead to tyranny?
It’s simple. Government, corporations, the media, and all those in power who have access to influence and inform, are much more likely to affect, form and mold those who lack knowledge than they are to affect those with knowledge. In fact, statistical research shows that the more informed a citizen is the less influence the media has on their beliefs.
Knowledge is the primary shield the masses have against the onslaught of the powerful. The less knowledge in the masses, the more easily the powerful can mold and manipulate the masses to do as they please. However, when the masses are knowledgeable and aware of what the powerful are doing and what they should be doing, the powerful’s power is held in check. They can only go so far. If they go too far, they risk losing power.
This is why the advancement and diffusion of knowledge is so stoutly fought against by the powerful. Why do you think government wanted public schools? Why corporations fight so hard to control all the messaging on social media? Because the advance and diffusion of knowledge undermines their fight for power.
We must not let them succeed. We must succeed in advancing and diffusing knowledge to every corner of America, no matter how that happens. It can be through word of mouth, written word, podcasts, books, sharing little nuggets of information to our neighbors and acquaintances—what matters is that knowledge is advanced and diffused.
If we are going to successfully protect liberty, we must advance and diffuse knowledge— specifically knowledge about government, the Constitution and the dangers of men with power.
Conclusion
I hope these little pearls of wisdom from our founders have encouraged you and motivated you to keep on keeping on, no matter how dreary or bleak the future of this country may look. Even if there is just one of us left who adheres to these principles, then we have hope.
And something tells me, there’s far more than one left.
The Liberty Belle
Once again your post are riddled with hypocrisy while attempting to stand on the shoulders of our founding fathers. As with most of the right today you want the truth exploited but it must be your truth, couched in your words, in the hands of your people and achieved by your methods.
You speak of standing on principles but when us Nevertrump people stood on principles for not supporting him it was "meh Principles"according to the populist right. You see people who are "torn to shreds because they don’t believe the same thing as the elite". Yet the NeverTrumps are called traitors and Unamerican. You speak of facts. When it comes to election returns you want the facts but when it involves impeachment ….sorry we’ll ignore them as irrelevant. When it comes to "Shirking responsibility of taking blame " and "Blaming the system" the examples of where the President has abused this dates from day one to the 2020 election returns. As ghost writer to Trumps "Art of the Deal said "He spent his entire life redefining reality whenever the facts don’t serve his narrative he seeks to create".
Unfortunately you have "been out of touch with things" since the election and your site has not been a "diffusion of knowledge" but a confusion of knowledge. It has gone from one which didn’t take sides and "avoided the muck" to simply another right wing rant and that is a shame.
I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’m glad to hear your comments. I certainly did not intend for this essay to come off as any right wing rant as much as simply discuss some founder quotes and let you apply them as you’d like. Franky, with my classes and limited time, I didn’t have a lot of time for essay so I had to come up with something simple quickly, as has been the case recently because of more in person classes that I’ve been teaching.
Naturally, I think neverTrumpers and anyone else should stand on principle, as it is unfortunately the case today that too many people cave, no matter their beliefs. If someone believes socialism is the way, and they know why they believe that, then more power to them, they should stand for what they believe. That’s the gist of the first argument I mentioned.
Again, I appreciate your comments and as I have friends I respect a great deal who can’t stand Trump, I understand your sentiment. I do have opinions and I will occasionally share them (doesn’t mean they are right, as no opinion is since it is an opinion), but if they don’t suit you, I understand the frustration.