Shafts of Justice

As Americans, we have been given a splendid gift from the heroic Founders of our country. Their gift was that they established a nation of liberty. Their premiere concern was to shield freedom from the vices of tyranny, and to create laws and rights such that we should always have the tools to vanquish any oppressors of our republic. When the Continental Congress first came into session they were facing the most common form of tyranny: Monarchy. Monarchs were generally grasping for wealth and power. We can see that this is true if we look back to the beginnings of our country’s birth. King George III and the Parliament of England made the choice to unlawfully tax their fellow countrymen. They felt no remorse or pity for them, due to the fact that they saw them as inferior to themselves. “No Taxation without representation!” became a common slogan for the subjugated colonists. James Otis, with a brave heart, became the first to rightfully dub King George a tyrant. Soon there sprang up the Sons of Liberty and other groups in opposition to the tyrannical acts of England. Afterwards, Americans formed the Continental Congress and fashioned the Continental Army. And in the end, the light conquered the dark, freedom triumphed over tyranny.

The tyranny that America faced in its early years, however, was blatant and obvious in its sinister intentions. The English were not disguising their plans to maintain control of America. They also had no problem enforcing tyrannical doctrines and laws. In some ways, the early colonists were lucky; for the most threatening form of tyranny is when someone convinces a large group of people to do something under cover of their common welfare. Under this guise of welfare, no person would think that they were being harmed. It is therefore vital that we look out for this specific form of tyranny. As C.S.Lewis wrote,

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.

It is easy to point out modern examples of tyranny, such as the fact that you can no longer publicly voice your opinion if it is not politically correct. When citizens lose the freedom of the press and freedom of speech, we are no longer able to publicly bond as citizens. Freedom of press and freedom of speech are replaced with the tyranny of political correctness. Where has tolerance for conservative voices gone? Where has tolerance for people who disagree with the mainstream narrative gone? The people who are trying to establish this “tolerance” are in reality tyrants trying to push their own agenda. We are now so tolerant that one cannot even express their own opinion because it might go against someone else’s and offend them. The author Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote, “Tolerance will reach such a level that intelligent people will be banned from thinking so as not to offend the imbeciles.”

It is now common that reason and logical thinking is openly despised. There is no longer admiration for rational thought. If people can no longer reason in a rational, logical way,  then we are doomed. “He that rebels against reason is a real rebel, but he that in defense of reason, rebels against tyranny, has a better title to “Defender of the Faith” than George the Third.” –Patrick Henry: The Crisis – 1777.

It is crucial that we should heed Patrick Henry, and not rebel against reason. But we now see how true Dostoyevsky’s words were. It is now expected for us to tolerate all, and rebel against all reason, so as not to offend the imbeciles.

What stops us from taking action against tyranny? As Thomas Paine says, “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” We should not lose heart when we stand up to tyranny. For our sight should stay fixed on the end result of the fight. The glory is far greater than the strife that we experience. So we should never give up till we triumph over all tyranny. We should no longer stay silent. For, as Thomas Jefferson said, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”

One of the major obstacles that we face to achieving this victory, however, is technology: it controls so much of our modern world. Social media and television not only demote and criticize those who hold true to the Founders’ principals, but they take the next step and ban and shut down those who won’t bow down to tyranny. It seems that we are surrounded on all sides by tyranny, but we should remember that history has seen scores of tyrants. All of them ultimately have the same goal, which is to force their own will upon others so that they may gain power. I believe it is essential for all to carefully study history so that we may recognize the patterns of tyranny from the past. One sign that trouble is brewing is the rewriting of history itself.  People rewrite history to use it to their advantage and to obscure the successful ways in which tyranny has been overcome. Another symptom of a tyrannical presence is when certain groups of people of shared beliefs begin to be criticized and silenced. This shows that the tyrants feel threatened. One way to ward off tyranny according to the Founders is to look at the past and study all the different tyrants and forms of tyranny.

The most effectual means of preventing the perversion of power into tyranny are to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, and more especially to give them knowledge of those facts which history exhibits, that possessed thereby of the experience of other ages and countries, they may be enabled to know ambition under all its shapes, and prompt to exert their natural powers to defeat its purposes. (Thomas Jefferson: Diffusion of Knowledge Bill, 1779. FE 2:221, Papers 2:526)

One thing that we ought to keep in mind, is that it is in crises that tyranny often takes hold. For everything is momentarily frozen, strange, and abnormal. Often all we want is for it all to go back to as it was before, so we our ready to accept anything as a solution. When what has actually been accomplished is the tightening of the vices of tyranny. So whenever a crisis comes we should slowly and carefully study it before we accept the given answer. “Crisis is the rallying cry of the tyrant“–James Madison.

The right to bear arms was given to us specifically to protect ourselves and our fellow countrymen from tyranny. Because we can own firearms, we have the ability to rise up as a strong able bodied force against tyranny. We should remember that when people seek to take our weapons from us they are a tyrannical power who know that through having the right to bear arms we can threaten them. Thomas Jefferson warned, “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny.”

The most important thing is that we rise up against tyranny today! We should not wait to see if things change, or wait for others to stand up, we must rise up today! For if not now, when? Thomas Paine said, “These are the times that try men’s souls. We must prevail so that we have freedom in our lives.”

“God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it,” as Daniel Webster said. Many might take liberty for granted, but we should not. “All might be free if they valued freedom, and defended it as they ought”–Samuel Adams.  Men and woman for hundreds of years have sacrificed everything, even their lives, to preserve the freedom for the people of America.  As Thomas Jefferson says, “The time to guard against corruption and tyranny is before they shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered.” “Make yourselves sheep and the wolves will eat you,” as Benjamin Franklin said. We ought not let anything get in the way of our opposition to tyranny, so we ought not to delay the fight against tyranny any longer. 

         “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God”

        – Benjamin Franklin 

“The same God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time”

        – Thomas Jefferson