Monday, November 3, 2008

Freedom is never free...

...but I am afraid that it is all too easily lost, even willingly given away!




And I am a nervous wreck as I wait. And pray. And I wonder if next year, we will still possess the freedoms we do now.

I already voted this past weekend, via absentee ballot, so I guess all there is to do is wait and pray. And my prayer is more of a sigh/plea/groan. Do you know what I mean? I don't think I have stopped praying since last night when I saw this on Shell in Your Pocket . It disturbed me so much I did not sleep well.





Contrast this to some statements made by those who came far before us, our Founding Fathers:

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." ~Thomas Jefferson

"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

"A wise and frugal government... which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..." ~Thomas Jefferson

And consider these as well:

"But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever." ~ John Adams

"Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it." ~John Adams

"Government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." ~ Thomas Jefferson

As a family, we have been reading our way through "The Little House on the Prairie" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It got me thinking~ Charles and Caroline Ingalls had no assurance that everything would be all right, traveling from place to place. They had no certainty of safety or wealth. (They also had zero health care coverage.) But they had something far greater: their freedom. I believe they were freer then, than we are now. What happened to our desire for freedom? Why is living a comfortable life more important than these basic rights to life and liberty? Why is peace patriotic, but fighting for it is not? Have we forgotten the blood that has been spilled for this freedom we enjoy?

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
~ George Santayana

I am afraid we have forgotten the heavy price those who have come before us have paid for our freedom. I am afraid we will lose this precious freedom if we are too hasty to exchange it for ANY promise of safety, well-being or monetary benefits from our government.

I would rather have freedom, than be "provided for". I would rather have freedom than find I am enslaved by the tyranny of socialism instead. I would rather work hard in this free country than obtain ANY spreading of wealth, thank you very much, Senator Obama!

AND...one last picture, a little food for thought.




All I have to say about THIS is:

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." ~ John Adams

It is difficult for me to say these things, I'm human and tend to worry too much what people will think, don't want to ruffle any feathers. But then I think about how precious our freedom is, and suddenly, it seemed wrong not to say anything. I know that, in good conscience, I need to speak out for what I believe.


*Edited to add: I forgot to say thank you to Shell in Your Pocket for letting me borrow the video clip, a picture, and a couple of quotes!

10 comments:

Darlene said...

I too am worried to death today....I will go cast my vote for the "right" President and pray that he makes it.......

About Southern Belle said...

I totally agree. Thank you for sharing your heart.

Darlene said...

To answer your question....we had some old particle?? board in the shed and I had my hubby cut it to fit the frames.....sanded a bit and used several coats of spray paint chalkboard paint and voila!!!

I was so glad it only took me and hubby about 30 minutes to get our votes cast this morning.

Elyse said...

AMEN SISTER!!!!! I could not have said it better!!! Dont be afraid to speak the truth. It may be unpopular, but it is what God calls us to do.
It is a scary day for our country if Obama is voted in, but I have to keep reminding myself.. God is still God. He is the Almighty I AM. Alpha and Omega. One day we will be in Heaven with Him and that is what I keep looking towards. I am going to post a really cool article I read on my blog too that brought me great peace.
All we can do is pray, hand it to God, and look to Jesus.
Have a great, joyful, peaceful day my friend!!!

Isaiah 26:3-4
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

Darlene said...

lol...Maybe I said it wrong it only took us a couple of minutes to actually vote but the line took us about 30 minutes to get through. I keep hearing about lines taking hours, so I am glad I am in a small town and it didn't take long.

"Hello... It's Me Again..." said...

I wish I knew how to add blog names and links to a post. You can find my favorites through my profile page on my blog follower lists.

Thanks again for all of your kind words. You really bring a smile to my day!

Angie said...

AMEN and AMEN!!! Now that we know who will be Pres. (definitely not who I voted for) I believe we should pray for him, his family, and all who will serve with him. I hope and pray he will be a leader and a unifier, but I sure have my doubts. It's much easier to talk a good game than to actually carry it out. God help us in the months and years ahead!

Shell in your Pocket said...

Great post...of course I strongly stand behind every word and echo it !!!

I did take off the post from the 3rd since the election is over. I was getting such terrible emails...I could not take it anymore. They were not from my regular readers but they were getting way too out of control!!!

I am just one person but I am dedicated to keep informed of what is going on...what is coming in front of the senate and congress...what laws are being pushed. I will use my blog to tell those things and who to call!

Hang in there...We do need to trust in the Lord but also realizing that God does give what we rightly deserve...may He have grace upon us!

Rue said...

Hi Jenni :)

I guess we all know what happened and there's nothing left to do but pray.

On a brighter note, I loved the costumes in the last post. It sounds like ya'll had a great time :)

Have a wonderful night!
rue

the undomesticated wife said...

Any word on your kitten?