The price of freedom

What is the price of freedom? Well, there are a lot of answers to that question … But I will go back to a quote from one of the Founding Fathers of this country to start with:

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
Thomas Jefferson - 3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)

Eternal vigilance … why, you ask? Because there will ALWAYS be someone out there who will try to take away your freedoms. There will always be those whose goal is the subjugation of all others. It may be a person, a religion, or government and the threats to freedom can come from outside the country, or from within its boarders.

Unfortunately I feel that there are those in this country who, over the years, have not been as vigilant as they should have been. We, the citizens, have allowed the government to erode our freedoms, allowed the government to take some things that it was never intended to take from us. There is a growing population even within our own country that have no love of freedom … who would willingly surrender all to the government or, worse still, the UN.

There are many out there that believe that they can trade away freedom in exchange for peace. But not only is that exchange a terrible price, but the peace found with it is only temporary and short lived for there is greater conflict among repressive governments than among the free countries of the world. Iraq and Iran, for example, were nearly constantly at a state of war fighting over land and oil. Yet countries that value freedom value it not just for themselves, but for others as well, and respect the freedom of others.

Does this mean that there is never conflict among free countries? Of course not. There will always be conflict among people … the difference is that free people, governed by the rule of law, can usually work things out with less violence, and can, more often, come to an agreement that can benefit both parties.

I still believe, however, in the views of the Founding Fathers. I believe that we have rights, not as citizens of the United States, but as human beings. These rights are held by every person on the planet. There are those, however, who live under governments that take these rights away. Our rights are not given to us by the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights … our rights are ours by virtue of life, and NO government should have the ‘right’ to take that away.

Some ask, ‘when is the cost too high?’

Freedom is priceless; no ‘price’ can be attached to it … not in US Dollars or in human lives. No price is too high because the alternative is subjugation and oppression, the loss of liberty and of human rights.

Is it the job of the US to ‘spread liberty to the world’? I would argue that if the Free do not make it their job to spread freedom, than those that would oppress freedom will make it their job to take it. Freedom in the world can grow and prosper, or recede and fail. I, for one, would rather live in a world where freedom is growing, and economic and personal liberty being brought to more people. I would rather see a world that valued freedom and human rights, a world ruled by law where anyone can work hard and succeed in the ‘American Dream’.

I salute our soldiers in their duty … and I mourn those that give their lives in the name of freedom. I salute our allies in their support of freedom. I also salute the people of Afghanistan, who late last year defied the threats of terrorists and took their lives into their own hands, voting in free elections. I salute the people of Iraq who will do the same in a few days time … they are all heroes. They will face many threats, now, and in years to come, and I hope that with our help and the strength of their own will they will weather the test of time and flourish in the freedom that they now have.

I will pay the price of freedom. Will you? Or will you accept the shackles of the oppressed?