A PURITANICAL APPROACH TO FREEDOM

So, who were the Pilgrims, and why did they leave Europe?

The Pilgrims were English Separatists, technically known as Puritans.

What was that? Was it some kind of political Party opposed to King George III?

No, it was a group of Christians who followed the teachings of Calvin as notated in the Geneva Bible, use by their leaders, William Bradford, William Brewster and John Carver.

The King of England (a vain, self-centered, narcissist - pictured), believed that all Christians should be members of the Church of England, and, in fact, imprisoned or executed those who did not go along with his beliefs.

King James later ended the persecution, but Puritans, much like some Americans today, were discriminated against by many, so they left England and sailed on a broken down, leaky ship called the Speedwell to Holland, where they thought they would be free to build a church building and worship freely.

Economic times were hard in Holland and the Puritans wanted to leave.

A group of businessmen helped them buy a ship, called the Mayflower, and supplies and they sailed to the New Land.

Since their trip was deemed illegal by their government, they formed a government of their own and agreed to the Mayflower Compact.

John Adams (certainly knowledgeable about the source of the Constitution) referred to the Mayflower Compact as the foundation of the U.S. Constitution.

It turns out that the framers of the Constitution were much like the Puritans, being tired of the European government elitists lording it over ordinary people, a government that had instituted poorly conceived programs paid for by heavily taxing productive citizens.

What they had discovered was that people were ambitious for power, and when they got their hands on it, they craved more.

So they conceived a document that would establish The United States of America as a government of its own, writing laws that were intended to limit the powers of the government so that the peoples’ representatives would not become corrupt, abusive, self-important men whose prime purpose was to lord it over ordinary people, instituting poorly conceived programs paid for by heavily taxing the most productive citizens.

The basic tenants of the Constitution were: liberty; equal treatment under the law; and limited power to the government.

They did that on purpose.

The framers did not want the government to lord it over ordinary people, instituting poorly conceived programs paid for by heavily taxing the most productive citizens.

When Nancy Pelosi was asked what Constitutional provision allowed the government to force people to buy health insurance, her response was a well thought out, “Are you serious? Are you serious?”

Congressman Phil Hare, of Illinois, declared that he did not worry about the Constitution when it came to it allowing lawmakers to mandate the purchase of health insurance.

Pete Stark, congressman from California stated that the federal government can do most anything in this country, including, it must be supposed, lording it over ordinary people, instituting poorly conceived programs paid for by heavily taxing the most productive citizens.

It turns out that too many of our elected representatives have turned out to be the exact kind of low-lifes from whom the framers were trying to protect us when they wrote the Constitution.

Look: the freedom our forefathers and their descendants fought for is the exception in history, not the rule.

Most nations have never enjoyed the freedoms we established in the United States of America.

Instead they have, and continue to lord it over ordinary people, instituting poorly conceived programs paid for by heavily taxing the most productive citizens.

The really sad thing is, many of our politicians, judges and citizens believe we should move back in time toward a more “European” form of government where lording it over ordinary people, instituting poorly conceived programs paid for by heavily taxing the most productive citizens is considered the proper way to govern.

Every time a regulation is put in place “for the common good,” a freedom must be relinquished.

Eventually, we will run out of freedoms, and someone will have to take the lead in starting all over again…by whatever means necessary.

Just like the Puritans did.