Discover the values and principles that shaped America as we revisit the founding documents that are the bedrock of the nation’s identity. We discuss the relevance of these values in contemporary society and question whether today’s generation is ready to uphold the freedoms cherished by the fathers of the nation. A thought-provoking discourse on patriotism, freedom, and responsibility unfolds in this insightful session.
The Crawford Stand. Last week we celebrated what some call the birthday of the divided states of America. This week the president of Crawford Broadcasting Company, Don Crawford, talks about what the founding 56 declared to the King of England, which birthed the greatest nation the world has ever seen.
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. Again, we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. What a great way to address the King of England, don’t you think, who obviously disagreed. Unfortunately, this strong assertion of a natural right left out two things. First, it should have been all men and all women are created equal. Secondly, the founding fathers, brilliant as they were, conveniently seemed to forget the fact that slavery, the enslavement of black men and women, existed in the colonies, and these men and women were surely not equal. But the target, the enemy, was the king, and these men, 56 of them, from 13 different colonies, were determined to live free and sever all ties with Great Britain. At the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, indeed a masterful political document which was constructed by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776, the 56 Founding Fathers made this statement, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Great words, are they not? If only America today meant them. These 56 men were determined to confront the King of England with the fact that there were inalienable rights, or they called them unalienable rights, for all mankind, and they were ignored by Great Britain and by the King himself. But those rights were the natural rights which were given by God. The founders called him the Creator, And those unalienable rights could not be changed or reduced, much less eliminated in any way. That the King of England intended to do. Those rights were part of the birthing process of all men and all women. If you were born, you were born with them. They are not derived from or given from government, but, one could say, they were part of the DNA of every human being. They were determined, these 56 men, that the 13 colonies and all who came thereafter would enjoy these rights and these privileges, including, and especially among others, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They are yours and they are mine. All. All should be able to live life as they choose, accumulate their fortunes, and enjoy the fruits of their labors and earnings without oppressive taxation or forfeiture of property or monies. All, all should be entitled to everything which liberty entails, including all the rights and freedoms which were later, in 1787, embodied in the Constitution of the United States, that great document of 1789. All are entitled to the pursuit of happiness, however that individual defines happiness, and all such rights and privileges are unconditional, unconditional, with one exception, just one. That is, that those rights cannot turn from freedoms to mere licenses, with respect to behavior, and cannot diminish or conflict the rights of others. No one has rights superior to those of anyone else. All great stuff. Great, great, great stuff. Without the freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, there can be no freedom of religion. You are aware of that, are you not? And that’s what the First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees. Those freedoms are essential to the expression and the practice and the belief of true religion. And, of course, they are essential. They are foundational to the great First Amendment rights of freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of petition, and freedom of assembly. More basic rights. More birthing rights. More DNA rights. And never conveyed or instituted by government itself. Never. 11 years later in 1787, that is 11 years after the Declaration of Independence, these 56 founders and their successors, the authors of the Declaration, met once again in Philadelphia. And in 1787 began the drafting of the Constitution of the United States, which was issued as a formal document in 1789. The broad and incredible language of the Constitution is illuminated, is governed, is directed by the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence. Oh, you should read that. It’s short, but it’s so well worthwhile. The seminal passage in the Declaration is so very important. We hold these truths to be self-evident. Again, we hold these truths to be self-evident. Self-evident. Apparently to a whole lot of people, but not to the King of England. The declaration of these truths and these rights came from the long tradition of natural law. which holds, says the 56 Founding Fathers, that there is a higher law of right and wrong from which human law should be derived. Therefore, government, any government, would be instituted with the primary purpose to secure those rights, those natural rights, those unalienable rights, those self-evident rights, chief of which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Oh, thank God for them. How unfortunate today that so many of those rights and privileges and truths are taken for granted, assumed, unappreciated. Perhaps they never will be fully understood or appreciated until such time as they may be taken away. Then we would really appreciate them, would we not? Those 56 men who were the authors of the Declaration of Independence told the 13 colonies and the world at large at the end of this great document that this very sacred oath existed. And for the support, they said, of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. Isn’t that great? Oh, today if Americans, if we the people, would only pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor in the defense of the greatest nation in the history of mankind, what a different America it would be. Those 56 men were so determined to effectuate the freedom of the colonies, the freedoms in which they believed for them and all mankind, the freedom from Great Britain, and the freedom among many others to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They were willing to give their lives for all of that. They pledged those lives for that purpose. They were willing to die if necessary to achieve these goals. I doubt that too many Americans are willing to die today to keep those freedoms alive. But they were willing to give up everything. Everything. And most importantly, perhaps, they would never deviate in any way from this freedom mission. Never. And that was real patriotism. Oh, how wonderful it would be if that were once again to be the pledge, the oath, the statement of the sacred honor of close to 400 million Americans. Oh, I pray for that. We, the privileged people who live in and enjoy the fruits and blessings of this great country, what are we willing to give in return for those wonderful freedoms and those wonderful rights? What? Unfortunately, the day may come, the day may be near, in fact, when we who love freedom will need indeed to give our lives, our lives and our fortunes, and all we have for the freedoms we so richly enjoy. Are you willing to do that? Are you? Oh, thank you, America, for everything we enjoy, for the blessings of this life, which are absolutely incredible. And may I say with all my heart, and I hope you the same, God bless America. God bless America.
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That address again is stand at Crawford Media Group dot net. I hope you’ll write to Mr. Crawford this week. When you want to review what you hear, go to our website, CrawfordMediaGroup.net. The Crawford Stand is a public affairs presentation of Crawford Broadcasting Company and this station, serving God and country. I’m Bill McCormick.
