“Yesterday the greatest question was decided which was ever debated in
He was, of course, referring to the Declaration of Independence. You know, it’s that little document that proclaimed “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
As we pause to celebrate the founding of our nation, it’s important to examine what’s happening in
We’re becoming more polarized. Many are choosing their sides and sticking to them; others are increasingly staying out of the game because they don’t like either side and don’t see another option.
They don’t believe their voices count.
But as the U.S. Supreme Court reminded us in 1994, “at the heart of the First Amendment lies the principle that each person should decide for him or herself the ideas and beliefs deserving of expression, consideration and adherence. Our political system and cultural life rest upon this ideal.”
Every single one of us is different. No two have the same ideals.
We all have our causes. We’re all passionate about something. Our system is dependent upon the debate of those ideas about how things should be done, and the compromise that results.
That’s the bigger picture: We’re all entitled to our own beliefs, but we all live together in a society. It’s the discussion and debate of our beliefs that makes our system work.
That’s democracy.
As the Democratic and Republican parties become increasingly obnoxious and partisan, more people are registering independent of either party. That’s a good thing. The problem is, they’re also choosing to stay mostly, if not entirely, out of the political process.
Voting every four years when there’s a presidential race barely counts as being politically active.
Our voices are not only important: They are necessary for democracy to survive. Of course, people have the right to be silent. But those who choose to keep quiet miss the point.
Imagine if our nation’s founders had continued to keep quiet.
Here’s a debate that could benefit from additional voices:
A proposal that would allow Congress to ban the burning of the American flag died last week in the Senate by one vote. It had already passed the House. I applauded the failure of this proposal. I see it as a freedom of speech issue. Take away my right to burn the flag, and what’s next?
Dave McCollum, publisher of the Las Cruces Bulletin, sees the issue differently. He believes it’s about the protection of our nation’s most treasured symbol, which he believes is more important than free speech.
I’m certain he’s as passionate about his view as I am about mine.
The debate is part of a larger discussion about the balance between freedom and security in the post-9/11 world. It’s an important topic, and various viewpoints all include valid arguments and ideas.
Hopefully, in engaging in this debate, we’ll reach a compromise that will benefit all.
But our lawmakers need help. Most of them don’t live in our world. They are wealthier and have become
As I said, I am passionate about the right to burn an American flag. But I have to keep my belief in perspective. It’s the discussion, debate and testing of beliefs like mine – not the beliefs themselves – that moves our society closer to what our founding fathers intended: a place where all men and women are not only created equal but treated that way, a land of opportunity, a land distinguished by freedom and justice for all.
We’re so far from that goal, but the hope is that we’re moving toward it.
It’s easy to complain. It’s easy to be skeptical and believe your opinion doesn’t count.
It’s also wrong. Your opinion doesn’t count only if you choose to keep it to yourself.
Staying silent is making a choice to take the easier path, but it’s also the path that leads nowhere.
The road to becoming what our Founding Fathers intended is much more difficult. But the promise at the end is worth the work and risk.