“Origins of Our Liberty”

Speech by Mark A. Skoda

The Memphis TEA Party

July 2, 2009

Declaration of Independence:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Skoda’s Remarks:

This founding document and the people who signed it set a course of action that resulted in the creation of a new nation and system of government.  They recognized first and foremost that their rights came not from the dominion of man but through the grace of God and were therefore immutable. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were a profoundly intelligent, religious and ethically-minded group. Four of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were current or former full-time preachers, and many more were the sons of clergymen. Other professions held by the signers included lawyers, merchants, doctors and educators. These individuals, too, were for the most part active churchgoers and many contributed significantly to their churches both with contributions as well as their service as lay leaders. The signers were members of religious denominations at a rate that was significantly higher than average for the American Colonies during the late 1700’s.

Founded on the principles set forth by these men, whose views while colored by their time in history, the new nation took its first uncertain steps forward in the history of mankind.  These principles and the men who penned them have often been discussed and debated.  Recently, we have seen a great deal of effort to expunge the relationship of these men to their Creator from the historical record.

Of course, we can dismiss the notion that the relationship between God, this nation and that of the founding fathers was simply a reflection of a time when people were animated by their Biblically based culture.  It was, as some would have us believe, a time when these writings reflected the former persecution of their own faith and therefore was not a true representation of their secular intent.  However, the truth of the matter is that these same men recognized the unalienable rights ordained by God to man and for which man was responsible.  They thought it necessary to reflect these same ideas in the charter of this new country and its government, that of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  They understood that it is not in the rule of law that civility can be found but in the law of God upon which all of man’s rights have been enumerated.

It is instructive to look at current events and consider the context of our own liberty.  Two weeks ago, I sat in Baku, Azerbaijan and watched the news coverage of the Iranian protests. I wondered about the nearly 500,000 Iranian protesters who were angry about the results of the recent election. To put this into US terms, that would equate to nearly 2 million people turning out in the streets!  To be sure, I have no illusions about the election itself.  That election can best be understood as a proxy challenge to the orthodoxy of the ruling clerics and their power.

And in fact, the daily protests were even less about the selection of a particular leader as both Mousavi and Ahmidenijad represent the traditional politics of Iran.   No, the outcome of the election while interesting is really instructive in context of the protests ongoing in the country. You see, the people of Iran know that their rights to expression are restricted by the Islamic regime and they can see that even Iraq enjoys a greater level of freedom than the people of their country.  It will be interesting to evaluate the impact of Bush’s legacy in Iraq in context of the model of Arab democracy that is evolving in that region and the impact of that policy on the Persian people of Iran. To be sure, Twitter and other social networking technologies have made the youth of Iran acutely aware of the benefits of freedom that are now enjoyed by the Iraqi people.  

The reality is that these protesters had simply had enough and are looking to express themselves in context of a leadership that has for too long suppressed these desires.  And of course, we see the resulting crackdown on these people which includes beatings, arrests and even killings as a result of the government’s actions.  Now we should think about this conflagration not in context of our international interests but in context of our domestic situation.  You see, these people, knowing the odds of success and the reprisals to come were willing to put themselves and their lives on the line for something they believed in.  The fact that Mousavi represented the alternative to Ahmidenijad was only part of the logic.  More importantly, these people understood the politics of their country and the lack of freedoms they were experiencing in that country.

As such, these protests were spectacular in their scale and in the likely outcome of repression and violence that was inevitable when the ruling mullahs are challenged by the people.  So as I consider the US, I am bemused by our own lack of enthusiasm for issues that this nation faces.  I wonder if we are willing to put ourselves on the line given the implications of the budget deficits and the likely impact of those deficits on our way of life and that of our children and grandchildren.  We see our own government issuing reports identifying protesters as possible terrorists, although cooler heads prevailed and the report was “corrected”.  I am struck by the fact that as our liberty is eroded, few are willing to stand firm for the principles of this nation and the God given rights of its people that the founding fathers understood.  All too often we shrug and expect someone else to correct the injustice. 

Think about it.  People have barely whimpered as the administration has fired CEO’s, placed incompetent or people of questionable ethics into key roles, hired inexperienced kids to manage huge government rescue plans, spent trillions of dollars with little to show, created new Czars to oversee actions in the private sector, proposed new super agency powers for the Federal Reserve, passed legislation that will impact 90% of the energy production of this nation and now wants to control eighteen percent of our economy through healthcare reform.  And where are the protestors?  Silence!  

Instead we get an infomercial from the Main Stream Media and prime time “crisis” speeches from this president that are meant to urge actions that will correct the injustice without paying for the consequences of those actions. In fact, we seem to be relegated to a people who are to be lorded over by a government that tells us they know what is good for us without examining the likely outcomes.

As I watched those images in Iran, I was impressed by a people who are willing to fight the fight, put their lives on the line and make their wishes known to a group of clerics who literally control every aspect of that society.  And yet, there they were, in the streets taking action and stating their case.  All the while recognizing the likely outcome – more repression and retaliation while exacting little substantive change.  And yet they marched.

Meanwhile, at home we are seeing the future of our children being mortgaged through crushing debt and the growing power and pervasiveness of a government that wants us to believe that all of this regulation is for our own good!  Our liberty is eroded by the collective nature of a central government intent on legislating our lives.  So far, those arguments seem to be accepted as pabulum by the masses.  Yet the reality will be starkly understood by those same people as the jobs do not materialize, taxes rise, quality of life decreases and more and more people become dependent on all aspects of government for their daily lives.  No, we don’t have mullahs but we do have an administration that has “not let a good crisis go”.  I wonder whether we will finally rise up and make our own voices heard or have we lost so much that we are playing a “prevent defense” hoping to keep what we have left.  In this context, I am reminded of my own father’s views about this football analogy – the prevent defense prevents you from winning!

Yet in spite of what seems overwhelming challenge to our liberty,  I feel compelled to share a perspective which motivates my own actions and that of many of the people who consider this nation and its rich history.  To be sure, the work has only begun and the need for assistance and service is clear.  And like our founding fathers, I go to one of my favorite Scripture verses from the book of Matthew;

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

It is my unrelenting faith in God and the incredible people of this nation that has allowed me to persevere in the belief that we can overcome the challenges facing this nation through our choices and our actions!  Without question our forefathers called upon God repeatedly to direct their actions, animate their behaviors and guide the principles upon which they set this nation’s course.

Today, our country no longer finds that God is convenient to that motivation and our leadership relies upon their aptitude and their own pride in making decisions that affect the people of this country.  That is not to say that one must believe in God to be an American, however, the historical context of how and why we came to be as a country was supremely guided by His hand in the minds and hearts of those founders.  Indeed, every state in the nation has a constitution that honors the Creator or God directly in the formation of that state.

I offer these remarks not as a treatise on God and faith but on what seems to be man’s inability to govern himself absent the acknowledgement of God in that society.  In fact, the great Pennsylvania leader and orator William Penn noted;

"Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants."

So as we go about our business and once again renew our liberty, I ask, whatever your beliefs, to reflect on the founding fathers of this nation, our states and our own actions and I request that you pray for guidance in all we undertake.  I fully respect one’s right to believe otherwise, but for me, I pray that God will guide my words, my actions and our efforts towards a result that honors His will and that of the people of this nation.  Our liberty is not given to us by men, but is assured by our actions.  May each of us, today, make the decision to be silent no more!  And may God bless this nation, its people and guide our future.

Thank you.