By Ray Cardello for July 3, 2023, Season 20 / Post 30

Nearly 250 years ago, a group of incredible men with vision and wisdom far beyond their years crafted the Declaration of Independence. The colonists had tired of living under totalitarian rule and wanted their freedom and rights endowed upon them by God. These early settlers came to this land to escape excessive government control, only to find themselves still under the thumb of the King of England. These folks were willing to sacrifice their blood and treasure to regain their independence and create a more perfect union for themselves and their families. Young men and boys banded together and defeated the superior British Army and Navy to give birth to the United States of America.

On the last day of the Constitutional Convention, September 18, 1787, a lady asked Benjamin Franklin what have we got a republic or a monarchy – A republic, replied Franklin, if you can keep it. Two centuries later, we realize just how astute the words of Benjamin Franklin were as we see our once great Republic drifting away toward Socialism. Maybe it is time for us to band together again and declare our independence from the government we have created and allowed to take control of our lives.

The change happened slowly but built up momentum over the last fifty years. We had survived two world wars where we joined with other nations to fight fascists who wanted to control the world, and we had the freedoms and energy to grow this nation at a speed never seen before. Unfortunately, as we looked to the future, we did not watch the present. Our education system and government were working in unison to morph our nation into a more socialistic model. The change happened so methodically that we did not detect it as we were caught up in our progress. The last few years of anarchy, protests, Pandemic, BLM, and the introduction of cancel and WOKE culture have opened our eyes to the new normal, and many of us do not want to live in that “normal” world.

From our independence has grown a new dependent culture that wants to be nurtured and cared for from crib to grave while still enjoying the benefits and fruits of those who still have the spirit of our forefather’s drive to make a better life. Equity has replaced equality, and the want of a handout has usurped the idea of lending a hand up. You can hear the chants of the USA fading as the drumbeat of ESG and CRT have become the rhythm of the new generations.

Our free nation has become the new society of free living where all the basic needs and more are supplied to the masses at the expense of those who worked hard and created their success and wealth. This society can only work until we have drained all the resources from the few at the top or until the top of the pyramid is no longer. The new generations, and even our government, fail to understand this concept and are creating a debt that we cannot sustain.

Before it is too late, those who still believe in our Republic and its original intent must unite and rise against this movement to tear us down. We must reject those who want to lead us down the path to Socialism and ensure that our government returns to a body created by and for the people. If we fail to answer this call, we will fulfill the prophecy of Benjamin Franklin, and we will lose our grip on our great Republic. We are still a young country but one that is destroying itself from within. We have to power to reverse the course, but only if we join together and declare our intent to be free again. We cannot delay, for the momentum is too great for procrastination. Existential is a terribly overused word, but this movement is precisely that. The leaders of this movement are hell-bent on the extinction of the United States of America, and I, for one, am not ready to lower the flag just yet.