Happy Independence Day!
The Fourth is one of my favorite holidays as an opportunity for all of us to celebrate our common article of faith in the independence of a nation committed to freedom and individual rights. This country remains the greatest hope for freedom in the world and these protests reaffirm those rights. We celebrate the ideals of the people we strive to be — and the millions who came before us. With the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the Framers placed themselves and their families at the greatest peril for the principles of self determination and democratic rule. The American Republic was always meant to be a work in progress. Yet, our Constitution created the most successful and stable constitutional system in the history of the world.
This is a great day for family and food and fun. It is also a day to remember and to celebrate what we have accomplished in the protection of liberty. We have the ability to change our society but our constitutional system remains the greatest vehicle of justice and equality in the world. There is more that unites us than divides us and this holiday is a reminder of that transcendent fact. Many of us will join today to celebrate these United States and its history and values.
I truly love this holiday because it ideally celebrates what we have in common as opposed to what divides us. For all of our faults and failures, we have triumphed over great evils from without and within. The Framers gave us a system that has withstood it all through the test of time and turmoil. It will withstand these days and we will find a course forward as a nation.
Once again, as a Madisonian scholar, you will have to forgive my quoting James Madison from Essays for the National Gazette, 1792:
“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.”
Happy Fourth, everyone.
Happy Fourth! Just think, if the colonists hadn’t revolted, we’d all be speaking English!
Happy Fourth to all. Let us return to the foundational principles set forth by the Founding Fathers.
May God bless the USA and all those who dwell within her boundaries.
First Prayer of the Continental Congress, 1774
O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. …
Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.
Reverend Jacob Duché
Rector of Christ Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
https://chaplain.house.gov/archive/continental.html
Today we celebrate, in large part, the following concept:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men . . .
That is to say: our rights come from God, and the government exists to secure those rights. If our rights came from government, the government could take them away. As it is, they are unalienable. Enjoy your holiday everyone.
Oldmanfromkansas
Here, HERE!
I saw Sen Grassely turn a judicial nominee inside out.
He asked if the right to bear arms came before or after the Constitution.
The hemming and hawing were indicative of a LEGAL Expert, that has NEVER considered the origin of the Rights at the center of many conflicts. These are the people that consider themselves the final say on all thing legal and constitutional.
iowan2 – (1) when I took constitutional law in law school, the professor made us read the Constitution, which he said was rare among other (more liberal) law schools. He said they usually started with Brown v. Board of Education, whereas we started at the beginning. The Constitution’s actual text didn’t count for much among other law faculties, he said, which initially struck me as odd but then maybe not so much when I thought about it.
(2) To your point about the 2nd Amendment, a visiting federal judge gave a talk about the “MTV Constitution.” (This was before widespread availability of the internet, so MTV was at that time the equivalent of what Instagram might be today.) Different provisions were written in different size font. The 2nd Amendment was in font so tiny you could barely read it.
Please dear God, bless the land and the people who dwell on her.
Watching the first season of “World on Fire” (I never get enough of WWII drama and history). What struck me there and in my research about the 1920s and 1930s is how quickly the life we have can collapse around us. So we must cherish each day and pray our constitution saves us from calamity that awaits us if the fire smoldering is not extinguished–soon.
HAPPY 4th, Y’ALL
Our Founding Fathers are criticized and ridiculed for being white men who owned slaves. One wonders if Lincoln, Roosevelt, Dr. King and others could have accomplished what they did without the foundation laid by the founders.
Happy Independence Day to all! And thank you, Professor Turley, for bringing us your insights on a daily basis. God Bless America!
Happy Fourth, Catherine 🙂
Thank you, Diogenes! I love this country 🇺🇸. I am also a fan of Irving Berlin’s music.
We comment and often disagree, sometimes taking for granted this precious freedom of speech we all enjoy. For all who have gone before, thank you. For those of us now who are blessed with this gift, may we guard it jealously for those who will come after. Happy Independence Day!
Wonderful sentiment, HonestLawyerMostly! I do think that we have our work cut out for us.
John Quincy Adams: July 4, 1821: Speech to the U.S. House of Representatives on Foreign Policy
AND NOW, FRIENDS AND COUNTRYMEN, if the wise and learned philosophers of the elder world, the first observers of nutation and aberration, the discoverers of maddening ether and invisible planets, the inventors of Congreve rockets and Shrapnel shells, should find their hearts disposed to enquire what has America done for the benefit of mankind?
Let our answer be this: America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government. America, in the assembly of nations, since her admission among them, has invariably, though often fruitlessly, held forth to them the hand of honest friendship, of equal freedom, of generous reciprocity.
She has uniformly spoken among them, though often to heedless and often to disdainful ears, the language of equal liberty, of equal justice, and of equal rights.
She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single exception, respected the independence of other nations while asserting and maintaining her own.
She has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart.
She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama the European world, will be contests of inveterate power, and emerging right.
Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.
But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.
She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.
She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.
She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.
She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.
The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force….
She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit….
[America’s] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto upon her shield is, Freedom, Independence, Peace. This has been her Declaration: this has been, as far as her necessary intercourse with the rest of mankind would permit, her practice.
John Quincy Adams is still regarded as one of America’s best Secretaries of State. He would not have made any of the foreign-policy mistakes of the last twenty years. He certainly would not have scapegoated his domestic problems on one warring country while taking bribes from the other warring country. We’re ruled by clueless scoundrels.
Correction: Adams would not have made any of the foreign-policy mistakes of the last THIRTY years.
Good one, Diogenes! Let’s hope that the re-election trajectory is interrupted.
It has been painful to ride out the first three years. Any suggestions for waking up the populace who have been hoodwinked by the Dems and the mainstream media?
Leftwingers have a way of wearing out their welcome. That’s the best hope, Catherine. Just don’t let them take our guns in the meantime.
The true Marxist wears out his welcome, but the despots don’t.
Happy Independence day to you, Professor, Darren, your families, and everyone here. May we all continue to aim for liberty and the keeping of our republic!
Jonathan: Yes, Happy Fourth of July to everyone on this blog. There may be a great divide of opinion on this blog but I hope we share in honoring our Founding Fathers who fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy today. But at the time the Founding Documents were being formulated those freedoms were thought to apply only to white males–women and, of course Black slaves, were not afforded the freedoms my ancestors enjoyed. So, as you say, our democracy has always been a “work in progress”–struggling for a “more perfect union” where everyone enjoys the same rights. We still have a lot of work ahead of us to create a true Democracy.
My Rep. in Congress sent me a message today similar to yours. But he quoted Ronald Reagan: “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction”. We should remember those words because there a few today who really don’t believe in equal rights or the very concept of democratic rule. They believe in one man rule–an oligarchy in which the ability of the people to select their own representatives can be set aside and the rule of law is just an empty promise.
So today I would like to honor those public servants who are fighting every day to protect our precious freedoms and especially the rule of law. They are AG Garland, Jack Smith, David Weiss, Alvin Bragg, Letitia James and Fani Willis. It is no coincidence that three of these are Black Americans. They understand better than most the importance of the rule of law and that those few who violate the law, no matter their previous status, need to be held accountable. So it is these public servants I choose to honor today.
because there a few today who really don’t believe in equal rights or the very concept of democratic rule. They believe in one man rule–an oligarchy in which the ability of the people to select their own representatives can be set aside and the rule of law is just an empty promise.
Start attaching name or STFU. The only oligarchy in action here in the USA is the Democrat Party. See Biden demanding he can spend $Billions without getting the appoval of CONGRESS. You cant be anymore tone deaf, than this comment represents.
Edwardmahl: Obviously, we don’t share the same understanding of the “rule of law”. When I use the phrase it means nobody is above the law–not even a former president. Neither does Jack Smith or the others I cited in my comment. If Bill Clinton were found to have top secret docs and showed them to people without security clearances he should also be charged under federal law. That is what distinguishes me from you. For some unknown reason you think DJT is beyond the “ordinary criminal law”, as you say. Where does it say under federal criminal statutes that DJT is immune from prosecution? Being a former president doesn’t automatically give you immunity!
“we don’t share the same understanding of the “rule of law”.
Is Hunter Biden above the Rule of Law? He is protected, and his actions are criminal. Some of Trump’s actions aren’t proper but are insignificant. He should be punished with 100 lashes from a wet noodle. But what about Joe Biden, whose criminality is evident? Is Joe Biden above the rule of law?
[“Joe Biden has serially lied that he did not know anything of his son’s business dealings.
That assertion is contrary to photographic evidence of him with Hunter Biden’s business associates, sworn statements from at least one of Hunter Biden’s former business partners, clear evidence from Hunter’s own laptop, and now recent disclosures from FBI documents and whistleblower testimonies. And yet the President continues to lie, and the media continues to shrug that dads often do such things.”]
Is Hunter Biden above the Rule of Law? He is protected, and his actions are criminal.
The latest on Hunter.
It seems that a prosecutor that signed off on Hunters Plea Bargin, has worked for Hunters Business partners in the past. I direct violation of DoJ rulesl
Above the law? Hell, the DoJ doesn’t have to follow in house rules.
rule of law my ass
A federal Judge has enjoined Biden and his henchmen from the censorship he is colluding with big tech, shutting down conservatives. Scathing findings for so early in the process.
From the judges ruling
“Although this case is still relatively young, and at this stage the Court is only examining it in terms of Plaintiffs’ likelihood of success on the merits, the evidence produced thus far depicts an almost dystopian scenario. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth.”721”
Good thing I read the whole comment, or I would have “liked” a sucker punch.
He just can’t help but make about his TDS, can he?
Dennis is high on the TDS spectrum.
Dennis – when you and others use the phrase “the rule of law” what you mean is that the power of the State will be used against the politicial opponents of the ruling party, as happens all the time around the world, e.g. recently Pakiston and Brazil, earlier in Germany and the Soviet Uniton, and now in the United States. Your “work in progess” is really an emerging police state, featuring jail, censorship, propaganda, special privileges for the politicial elite, political corruption on an industrial scale, the assumption of discretionay power, by the executive branch of government, state-sponsored riots, the refusal to enforce ordinary criminal law, uncontrolled spending by the government. unending war somewhere, and, of course, rigged elections. I would say we are “one election”, not “one generation”, from the end of a free country.
edwardmahl,
Naturally I scroll past Dennis comment as it is not worth reading, but I do read the comments like yours.
Well said.
And this line you stated, “I would say we are “one election”, not “one generation”, from the end of a free country.” rang true to me.
And we see it in the examples you listed.
“. . . those public servants who are fighting every day to protect . . . the rule of law. [Such as] Jack Smith . . .”
Jack Smith’s view of the “rule of law:”
Weaponize the IRS against conservatives.
In other words: The Left is the law. And will use the law to rule you.
I am amazed that no matter where someone is on the “left” or “right” spectrum, at least with regards to mainstream politics, they really believe it is America’s responsibility to tell others how to live and run their countries. And it is all for their own good, right?
Or try telling most Americans that somewhere in the world may not be any of America’s business.
Maybe America should stop lecturing others on human rights.
And Happy July 4th!
antonio
Gaslighting others is the Democrat Party’s blood sport, along with cocaine and wife-swapping. They’ll never give it up, Antonio.
Happy Independence Day everyone!
Happy Fourth, Upstate 🙂
Happy Fourth to you Diogenes!
If you are lighting off fireworks today, DON’T be this family!
https://twitter.com/PicturesFoIder/status/1674782006528573442?s=20
In 1956 I was a West Virgina boy whose Dad and Mom had recently purchased a black and white console television, the first one on our block. On the Sunday night Ed Sullivan Show my family and I watched and listened live as Kate Smith roused America’s heart with her historic performance of God Bless America, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPIeLh7_M0A. Kate Smith’s rendition of that song would go on to become beloved and forever an American classic. The song was a big deal for Americans in the Glorious Fifties, and it’s important today. What a way to move a kid, a family and a people to love God and country!
Decades later I’m proud that in our hearts we’re still “coming to America,” except now it’s to her rescue.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3RYzVcevrs
To my family and friends, especially to my immigrant friends, I say that we’re all born today on the Fourth of July and we know how rare is liberty, how tenuous, fleeting and hard to preserve.
“Happy American Freedom Day.”
thefp.com/p/all-immigrants-are-born-on-the-fourth-of-july?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=260347&post_id=131958855&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
Beautiful, thank you. Happy Fourth of July, everyone!
For once I agree with every word of the post. Yes our country is a work in progress and therefore flawed but we have that piece of paper as a rudder. Other countries lack that. And if we get it wrong, as we often do, that piece of paper stands and demands that we try harder. Our country is a baby on the world stage: young, crude, idealistic, selfish, often tilting at the wrong windmills. Many want to throw the baby out with the bathwater but that would be a tragedy not just for us but for the world.
Happy Independence Day to you Professor, your family and all who come here!
Happy Independence Day!
God bless America 🇺🇸
Dear Professor, and all who gather here: Have a Happy and Safe 4th!
Love it! Thank you for sharing!
Happy Fourth, Cindy!
Outstanding! Thanks for lifting our spirits, Cindy
He who sings prays twice
– St Augustine
Estovir…Thank you! My father conducted his church choir and orchestra as they performed this anthem every 4th.
It’s beautiful, meaningful and nostalgic.
I love the St. Augustine quote!
Happy Independence Day! May we never take this extraordinary gift of freedom, won and preserved in great sacrifice, for granted!
Well said!