TFYL – Principle 1: Natural Law

(Don’t be left behind!  To follow the study from the beginning, check out Setting the Scene.)

Marcus Tullius Cicero (from wikipedia.org)

To start our examination of the first principle shared by the Founding Fathers, we’re going to step back through time and look at the writings of one of their favorite authors – Cicero.

Cicero lived in ancient Rome from 106 – 43 B.C., where he studied law and philosophy and eventually became Roman Consul.  To give you an idea of the time period in which Cicero belongs – you’re probably familiar with Julius Caesar, right?  Named himself dictator for life; assassinated by Senators on the Ides of March; “Et tu, Brute?” (according to Shakespeare, anyway).  Well, Cicero was assassinated a year later by a member of the ruling triumvirate that took over after Caesar was killed.

Cicero wrote two “landmark” books – Republic and Laws – based out of his experience in politics and his study of many political systems.  His conclusion were that men must strive to eliminate the depravity of society, and the best (the only) way to do this is to follow the mandates of their Creator.

The “mandates of their Creator” is natural law.  It is the principle that man shares with his Creator the power to reason, the ability to use a rational approach to solve problems.  This reasoning ability allows man to reach common-sense conclusions based on the laws of nature.  The laws of nature are the laws of God, since He created all things.  Cicero asserts the following:

• natural law cannot be granted or taken away by a government; it is part of the order of the universe as God made it
• natural law cannot be changed; it is the same now as it was in the past or as it will be in the future
• natural law is basic and comprehensible; it is understandable in the same way that physical laws like gravity are understandable
• natural law is correct and morally right; it is based on the precepts of God’s law

Now, everyone wants justice, right?  How do you provide justice from a human being’s point of view?  Your idea of justice might not match mine.  Whose is the right view?  Cicero felt that justice is impossible, except under the principles of God’s law.  A just society is based on love – love of God, love of God’s law, and love of your fellow human beings.  He wrote, “For these virtues originate in our natural inclination to love our fellow-men, and this is the foundation of justice.”

All this seems very emotional and abstract, doesn’t it?  Love, love, love.  But you might be surprised to find out how many basic Constitutional concepts -- on which our freedoms are based -- stem from natural law.

• unalienable rights (free speech, privacy, a fair trial, etc.)
• unalienable duties (to not steal, uphold contracts, etc.)
• habeas corpus
• limited government
• separation of powers
• checks and balances
• self-preservation
• protection of the family and the institution of marriage
• justice by reparation
• the right to bear arms
• no taxation without representation

Remember these lines from the Declaration of Independence, penned by Thomas Jefferson?  “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.”  These ideals are based on the foundation of natural law.

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This first principle of the Founding Fathers is the basis for the system of government they were crafting.  It is crucial to establish the theory of natural law as the starting point, for the framework of our freedoms rests on its solid foundation.

Thanks for following along!  Don’t forget to leave your comments!

TFYL–Setting the Scene

Howard Chandler Christy's  Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States (from wikipedia.org)

Imagine you are at the Constitutional Convention in 1787.  You’ve been at war for years.  Your money is virtually worthless due to inflation.  A section of the country you’re trying to establish (New England) already wants to secede; Spain and England are waiting to swoop in and take over your new nation as soon as it fails, which is looking more and more likely.

And by the way—your first try at creating a government for the new nation has miserably failed.

Before the Constitution, the law of the land designed by the Founders was called the Articles of Confederation.  But the AoC weren’t very effective; they didn’t provide a strong enough central government.  Essentially, the federal government couldn’t do anything without the states’ authorization, and the states didn’t want to authorize much.  Somewhat understandable, considering the monarchial rule the people were trying to get away from.  But as a result of the federal government’s weakness, they were unable to even provide for the army—everyone knows the story of Valley Forge.

Herein lay the Founders’ dilemma:  to find a balance between “no law” (anarchy) and “ruler’s law” (tyranny, or a police state, as we might say today).  The AoC were too close to anarchy for the government to function effectively.  So the Founders were aiming to create what they called “people’s law”.  This would be distinguished by certain principles, such as:

• All men possess certain rights granted to them by God, not by their government.
• Decisions should be made by a consensus of the governed.
• Problems should be addressed as locally as possible.

The formation of a government founded on “people’s law” was the intention of the Constitutional Convention.  But even though they were edging away from the anarchy end of the spectrum, they had a few cautions in mind.

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Our business is to march straight forward…without either turning to the right or left.”  The Founders wanted to be on guard against “fringe elements” of either political persuasion that would seek to move the government toward anarchy or tyranny.  They could foresee the possibility that future generations might want to move toward a “welfare state” in which the government tries to provide everything for everyone.  This was unacceptable, and would likely lead to excessive taxation and deficit spending.  To quote Jefferson again, “…we shall all consider ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity with our debts, and morally bound to pay them ourselves; and consequently within what may be deemed the period of a generation, or the life of the majority.”

Also, the Founders felt that, in order for Americans to keep their government balanced in the center, the populace must be informed as to how their new government worked, and what the duties of the citizen were to be, so that the enlightened system which they had designed might be protected for all future generations.  Thomas Jefferson wrote, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”

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The Founding Fathers were a diverse group of men.  They attended several different churches, or no church at all.  Some were employed as farmers and some as university presidents.  Their backgrounds included wilderness pioneers and aristocratic estate-owners.  They were educated at home and at Harvard.

Yet for all their differences, they shared several fundamental beliefs, gleaned from their extensive readings in religious, political, historical, economical, and philosophical studies.  Our next FTYL post will start examining those principles

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the Comments—live up to Jefferson’s thoughts by educating yourself!  Blessings from my Home Front to yours!

un-American?

“In fact, all of us belonged to a generation that had never been taught the clear-cut, decisive principles of sound politics and economics enunciated by the Founders.  Somebody had apparently decided these were not very important anymore … we were a generation of un-Americans.”     -Dr. W. Cleon Skousen

I got the impression from my education (and the recent attitude of my government)  that America is an unfair and pretty much evil nation, founded by hypocritical, rich, white, elitist racists.  Sounds fairly…un-American.  Is it true? 

I want to know real American history. The Founding Fathers’ beliefs and hopes for the nation they helped create.  Unaltered by the liberal media or the Progressives’ agenda.  The main principles built into our governmental structure by men who were crafting what would become the greatest nation on the face of the earth.  In their own words.  (Pretty radical, I know.)

So, I’m proposing a blog-&-book club, studying a fantastic book by W. Cleon Skousen, called The 5000 Year Leap, which introduces the reader to 28 principles the Founding Fathers believed in.

I am going to reread the book, and post the main points and my observations.  You are going to (please!!) leave your thoughts in the comments.

Maybe you’ll be moved to buy the book for yourself.  (The populace engaging in free market capitalism?  Inconceivable!)

Maybe you’ll be inspired to do more research on what it means to be an American.  (The populace educating itself?  Inconceivable!)

Maybe you’ll (GASP!) mention your newly acquired knowledge to others!  (The populace discussing with their friends and families information not disseminated by the Department of Education?  Inconceivable!)

Maybe you’ll be incensed at my effrontery and leave me stinging criticisms in the comment box.  (That’s okay…the First Amendment protects your right to disagree with me!)

I challenge you to join me and think about it. 

Because we cannot afford to be un-Americans anymore.

Wasted?

Here’s a hypothetical situation for anyone who doesn’t have a clear-cut favorite in the upcoming election.

You have 3 candidates on your ballot:  a Democrat, a Republican, and a none-of-the-above (a third party, write-in unknown).  You feel that the unknown is probably most likely to share your beliefs and values.  But the two “party” candidates are holding up signs that read “Vote for Me—or Else!”  It’s a remix of that Election Day classic, “Politics of Fear”.

The Democrats say, “You have to vote for us, because we’re the only ones who can fix this mess.  We have to do it now, right now.  Have you forgotten that they are to blame for all your problems?”

The Republicans say, “I know we haven’t really earned your trust, but we’re the good guys—trust me.  If you vote for Mr. Unknown, you’ll just be ensuring that they win, and you’ll have wasted your vote.  Have you forgotten that they are to blame for all your problems?”

Waste your vote?  Can you really do that just by voting your conscience?

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being herded one way or another by politicians doing their Chicken Little impersonation.  Stop whacking me on the head with the “scared silly” stick.  I refuse to let fear dictate my decisions in this election.

If it is vital to restore honor to our government—and I think it is…

If one of our greatest resources is our inexhaustible well of hope that we can come together to fix our problems—and I think it is…

If it is necessary that our leaders stand up for what is right, for the beliefs we Americans hold dear—and I think it is…

If I truly believe that “governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”—and I absolutely do…

Then doesn’t reclaiming the nobility of our nation start with you and me?

I think it does.

 

image from sonofthesouth.net

It’s the most wonderful time…of the year….

Ah, yes. Election Day 2010 is right around the corner. Ten days away, to be exact. Do you know who you’re voting for? Me neither. But I have been thinking about it.

I know – how can you decide who to vote for before you see the ballot?  Nobody can get all the candidates straight from the barrage of political ads on TV.  But you can actually get an idea of who will be running for which office in your area, even before you walk into that claustrophobic little booth.

I found a site called evoter.com. It’s an “unbiased, non-partisan election information site.” If you live in Illinois or a handful of other states, you can:

• see where your polling place is
• see a sample ballot for your area
• view candidates’ online profiles
• get links to candidates’ websites

All in one place. With no spin or name-calling. Genius!

So what do you do if the candidate you like doesn’t have a profile or a link?  Run their name through the search engine of your choice and do a little independent research.  What if your state’s not available on evoter.com?  Try searching for “sample ballot <your state>” or “<your state> board of elections”.

I know – no one has the time to waste on researching politicians, right?  Wrong.  You can’t have everything handed to you on a silver plate; that’s why it’s called “exercising your freedom to vote” – because it takes some work.

It is so vital to be informed when you cast your ballot.  The 2010 Census was just completed.  The next Congress is going to be responsible for redrawing congressional districts.  There are still important issues up in the air that will be dealt with by the people that we elect.  If you blindly vote for a party, you’ve surrendered your right (and your duty) to have your voice heard.

Like a lot of people, I’ve pretty much always voted for a party. I didn’t know anything about the candidates, so I assumed that one party lined up closer with my beliefs than the other. 

Most fair-minded Americans would admit that our politicians seem to be increasingly distanced from what we average folks think. Since this situation’s been getting worse for quite a while, I have to admit that I have been part of the problem. I was a blind voter.

So now I ask - have you been part of the problem, too? Then this is your chance to change. This year, I’m going to be part of the solution. This year, I’m voting my conscience.

Think about what’s important to to you.

1. Gun control?
2. Abortion?
3. Socialized health care?
4. Tax reform?
5. Fiscal responsibility?
6. Personal integrity in our leaders?
7. Job creation?
8. “Don’t ask, don’t tell”?

Find the candidates that believe in what you do, and VOTE!