People love freedom.  Many have fought and died in the name of freedom.  The concept of freedom is held close in many hearts around the world, but freedom is understood (or misunderstood) differently in various parts of the world, and this country.  A friend of mine said recently that freedom cannot be defined due its various degrees and understandings.  I disagree. 

The ideas and actions of America’s Founding Fathers showed the world what it meant to be free and provided the guidelines for living under a just government.  Although having the glaring imperfection of institutional slavery, the system of government created through the American constitution allowed the people to live free from the burdens of government to shape their lives as seen fit.  Many in America today feel that the government has completely deviated from our origins, and has continuously stolen freedom and liberty away from the American people over the years, one small portion at a time.  Events such as the recent Revolution March in Washington, D.C. are demonstrations of the freedom movement, and expressions by the people of their lack of faith in government to secure their liberties.

Congressman Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty helped to organize the Revolution March held last Saturday as an informational event for the American people highlighting the unconstitutional actions of the U.S. government, and various ways that personal freedom has been threatened, or taken away.  The rally, held on the lawn of the Capitol Building, included sixteen speakers, featuring Dr. Paul himself. 

The turnout fell short of the 15,000 who pledged to attend the event, but several thousand people did show up, with enough enthusiasm for the rest.  Pictures of the event may be seen here.  The attendees were a very diverse and interesting group: young and old; Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics; Code Pinkers and 9/11 Truthers; Conservatives, Libertarians, and Constitutionalists; Army veterans; former government employees; and average citizens from around the country. 

The common enemies and issues of the speakers included the unconstitutional nature of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Income Tax, the North American Union, the Iraq war, illegal immigration, the impending war with Iran, FISA, and defending the Constitution of the United States in all areas of life.   

While I may not necessarily agree with everything Ron Paul and his supporters believe in, Dr. Paul is right on many issues dealing with the unconstitutional nature of our own government.  Our constitution was not created for a bloated and strong central government that interferes with and restricts the rights and duties of the states and the people.  The central government should be last on the list of the hierarchy of power dealing with domestic issues in the United States, under the people and their local and state legislatures. 

Or maybe we should put the courts last on the list.  For years the people of the American republic have been silenced by the courts who have taken it upon themselves to circumvent the legislatures of the people, and create law out of thin air.  One of the most recent cases was California’s Supreme Court ruling against California’s own state constitution to make gay marriage legal. 

America luckily avoided a near catastrophe last month when one vote of the U.S. Supreme Court could have found the Second Amendment of the Constitution unconstitutional!  While many legislators across the aisle praised the Court’s decision, I asked the question, “[W]here were our "leaders" voices for the past 30 years while American citizens suffered under unconstitutional conditions?”

Judges are meant to interpret laws, not create them.  If judges continue to create the laws, without the consent of the people, who then will take on the task of interpreting the laws they create?

Another interesting case of personal freedom involves our friends to the north.  Canadian author, columnist, and political commentator Mark Steyn found himself in the Canadian courts for his book America Alone: The End Of The World As We Know It.  The book was a bestseller in the New York Times and a Number One bestseller in Canada.  However, the Canadian Islamic Congress brought hate crime charges against Steyn at the Canadian Human Rights Commission for Steyn’s discussion in the book of Islam’s relationship with the West.  The Commission sent a letter to Steyn’s editor saying “it is justifiable to restrict expression to prevent exposing citizens to hatred.”  Traces of this sentiment can be seen in America today, where even reading a book can be considered a hate crime.

In an interview with Rush Limbaugh appearing in the Limbaugh Letter, Steyn said the international standard of freedom is somewhere between the idea of freedom in Yemen and that of Switzerland.  Steyn called America the last refuge for Western Civilization, but noted that liberal politicians and judges were pushing American more towards internationalism.  He also told Rush that President Bush sent him a letter praising America Alone.

Ron Paul has a saying that “Freedom is Popular,” but we must agree on our understanding of freedom.  Barack Obama recently began talking about personal responsibility and freedom, yet has a laundry list of government programs he wants to institute by stealing money from the American people, and having them rely on the government.  The liberal idea of freedom shared by the UN, Canada, and people like Barack Obama, is not the freedom of America and our Founding Fathers, but it may soon destroy our liberties unless the American people are vigilant.