There was a time in the not so recent past when I had a lot of angst. I wrote about the need for personal independence and the protection of individual rights under what I perceived as big government and tyranny. It may surprise you to learn that those thoughts have not changed and if anything, have accelerated in light of our current divisive political climate.
Today I feel I can no longer remain quiet. This week is Independence Day in the United States and I for one, am fearful of what we may become. I am full of angst.
Let me explain.
Since I began blogging in 2010, I have championed our right to freedom, free speech, and independence from cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control. That is, by the way, the definition of tyranny. In support of that, I have done my best to stay focused on what we as individuals can do on our own to become self-reliant and prepared for the uncertain times that we face.
There have been the expected bumps along the way, including a change in my perspective on certain aspects of prepping that no longer seem relevant. Likewise, there have been the ebbs and tides of the risks inherent in my personal situation.
All that being said, one risk I have personally prepared for is the dismantling of one of the basic tenants upon which our nation was formed, namely the Declaration of Independence. That brings me around to Independence Day and the 4th of July.
I have shared Independence Day sentiments in the past and quite honestly, nothing much has changed since my first Independence Day article in 2011. The bag of woes we face as a nation still weighs a ton with the only difference being the contents of that bag.
With that introduction, I will first share with you again, some of the thoughts I first wrote on July 4, 2012.
A Preppers Nod to Independence Day and the Revolution of Thought
In reading the Declaration of Independence, it strikes me that this statement, this edict of the people, was truly a revolution of thought. It was a declaration of universal rights for all and further, it defined the government as the gate-keeper for ensuring that those rights are protected. Yes, the government was defined as the gate-keeper and protector with its rights being granted by the people and for the people. Imagine that!
But now, instead of being gate-keeper and protector, our government, in my opinion, has become the warden and the jailer, intent on keeping our citizens under control, without choice, without guardianship and certainly without representation when it comes to taxes.
As Lincoln said in 1863:
“Our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
Today as I look back at these words and scratch my head in confusion. How could we have strayed so far from this universal truth? Let us start at the beginning.
The Story Behind Independence Day
Back in the years leading up to 1776, the colonists were feeling the crunch of Great Britain telling them what to do and when, and charging them for the privilege through excessive taxation. People started getting pissed off and decided they were sick and tired of the status quo. So, in a nutshell, they decided to tell the King to take a hike. They wanted to become their own independent country, free from the tyranny that had plagued them for years.
The Congress met and appointed a committee to write a formal document that would tell Great Britain that the Americans had decided to govern themselves. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft and the rest is history. Independence was declared on July 2, 1776, and the official Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.
Over the years, The Declaration of Independence has become more than just a piece of paper. In addition to being a symbol of our country’s independence, it has become the blueprint to the philosophy of American government. Or has it?
The preamble of the Declaration of Independence says:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Independence. Really?
I believe the goals of our found fathers were mostly met. Great Britain went away and the United States of America prospered and grew to become the most powerful country in the world. But somewhere along the line, the goal of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness became clouded and mired down by politics, special interests, super egos and the tyranny of taxation without true representation.
Much like the colonists, today the people are being told what to do, how to do it, and charged handsomely for this so-called governance. What happened to “governments deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”? In my opinion, the writing is on the wall and like those colonists of many years ago, the people of today are poised to say, quite simply, no more.
The Situation Today
Let me puts some facts out on the table. I am an independent that leans toward the conservative side of the political spectrum. I am proud to call myself an independent and over the years have voted accordingly.
That said, certain events have worried me to the point of extreme anxiety. I fear not only for my personal future but the future of the country I love. Here are but a few examples.
A columnist from the New York Times recently said this:
“Too many Americans are feeling like strangers in their own country. A party that puts more of its faith, and invests most of its efforts, in them instead of us.
They speak Spanish. We don’t. They are not U.S. citizens or legal residents. We are. They broke the rules to get into this country. We didn’t. They pay few or no taxes. We already pay most of those taxes. They willingly got themselves into debt. We’re asked to write it off. They don’t pay the premiums for private health insurance. We’re supposed to give up ours in exchange for some V.A.-type nightmare. They didn’t start enterprises that create employment and drive innovation. We’re expected to join the candidates in demonizing the job-creators, breaking up their businesses and taxing them to the hilt.”
I could not agree more. As someone who has been an entrepreneur, created jobs and paid an obscene about of taxes, I fear that socialist policies and the glorification of illegal activities on the part of immigrants will lead to enterprising individuals giving up.
Why work so hard when you can get it for free?
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A young congresswoman says:
The United States is running concentration camps on our southern border, and that is exactly what they are — they are concentration camps.
As a Jewish American, I find this distasteful at best and unforgivable at worst. Fortunately, many agree with me. I am not alone when I say that as a fail safe to growing anti-Semitism, I have added a backup plan to flee the country and live my remaining years as an ex-pat if it comes down to it.
Yes, I would lose everything. But I would hold on to my precious life. Harsh? Perhaps. But I for one do not want to be the last one standing.
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The MSM is blaming our current administration for policies instituted by the previous administration. President Obama said in 2014:
We now have an actual humanitarian crisis on the border that only underscores the need to drop the politics and fix our immigration system once and for all. In recent weeks, we’ve seen a surge of unaccompanied children arrive at the border, brought here and to other countries by smugglers and traffickers.
The journey is unbelievably dangerous for these kids. The children who are fortunate enough to survive it will be taken care of while they go through the legal process, but in most cases that process will lead to them being sent back home.
This is just one example of the hypocrisy I see day in an day out in the new, on the Internet, and on social media. Depending on the day and the issue at hand, this hypocrisy spans both sides of the aisle and includes journalists of all flavors.
Independent and unbiased journalism is dead with Walter Cronkite likely rolling over in his grave.
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In some states, you are sent to the slammer for shooting an intruder in self-defense, but it is legal to kill a full-term fetus.
The controversial Reproductive Health Act, which was signed into law Tuesday by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), does away with restrictions on abortion past 24 weeks.
This is an emotionally charged topic but let us get real. There is a time and place for abortion and a time and a place where it should be banned. The more salient point, however, is why should women’s reproductive health become a political football?
For years, Roe v. Wade has given women the right, within limits, to chose in accordance with their beliefs. That should not change.
Can’t we come to the table with laws that are reasonable yet protect everyone, including innocent babies that aborted in the third trimester for no reason other than they are unwanted?
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These are just a few of the events and issues that have been troubled me in recent months. Some affect me personally but others are an attack on what I perceive to be my rights as a US Citizen.
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The Prepping Angle: Declare Your Personal Independence Day
This year, before setting up the BBQ and watching the fireworks, I challenge you to reflect on our Republic, where it came from and where it is going. If you are as concerned as I am, make it your ongoing mission to cover the basics of physical and psychological preparedness.
Be prepared for Big Brother the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetime. Create your own, sustainable rules for living a fulfilling and joyful life in spite of current politics or perhaps even because if it. Shun handouts and create your own destiny. And perhaps more than everything else, in the face of adversity, continue to prepare for an uncertain future while remaining under the radar.
Doing these things will allow you to experience a personal independence day, one that will carry you forward over the years to come as it has for me.
Summing It All Up
Many of you will not agree with my thoughts and I do respect that. Honestly, I do. Then again, if you disagree you may not have read this far. So be it.
It is my opinion that to put on the blinders to what is happening is to admit de facto acceptance of the status quo. I have family members who did that in Nazi Germany. They thought the rumors were untrue and the government would protect them. Alas, they perished in the ovens. Unlike them, I will not be a victim. I want to be ready for the worst of times, no matter what.
What I want for myself, my family and my friends is the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness unencumbered by divisiveness, hypocrisy, and the fostering of a society where breaking the law is the new normal. May God help us all.
And that, for now, is all I will say about that.
Yours for a Joyful Life,
Gaye
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Carol Ann says
At a time when the radical left and media are determined to change our country, our Constitution, freedoms and liberties, and our way of life, it is refreshing for you to be bold enough to stand and be counted to defend the values that we hold dear. We have a President who is doing and saying bold things to protect us on the border, abroad, and as a nation. I applaud him and people like you who are not afraid to speak out and defend our great country.
There needs to be a grass-root effort and a concentrated effort among the American people to stop these radicals from demanding their changes of which we do not approve. That includes those who scream from the House and Senate, those running for the highest office in the land, and those in the media who loudly support them! That will be at the ballot box in November 2020. They must not win with their smash talk of giving away everything we hold dear and turning to socialism! May we be ever vigilant in the fight for what is right and honorable! God bless America!
Dwight says
Hey Gaye, you were spot on up to the point of 3rd trimester killing of babies. If a baby; in the 3rd trimester; than a baby at conception. We hope that this too will resonate with your readers. We have followed your blog from it’s inception. Thank you for ALL you do for the prepping community and God Bless the USA.
Tumbleweed says
The anti-Semitism is indeed troubling. The most troubling aspect of it is that it is misplaced anger. What most alleged anti-Semites rail against is the inordinate power that the state of Israel wields over our government, which has made Congress a toady of the Zionist rulers of Israel and initiator of wars that are solely for the sake of Israel. This situation is due to the large number of elected and unelected dual-citizen Israelis who roam the halls of power in numbers vastly disproportionate to the actual number of people of Jewish heritage in America. They’ve been intentionally placed there by powerful background Zionists, whose goals of world subjugation are destructive not only to Americans, but also to Israeli citizens.
Most Zionists are not even truly Jewish, but are the descendants of an ancient Mid-eastern country that converted to Judaism centuries ago. Their lust for power knows no bounds, and even the average Israeli citizen has been entrapped by them and will suffer greatly if their plans succeed. Unfortunately for American Jews, most Americans are so brainwashed that they don’t know who their true enemies are and, as a result, castigate all Jews for the unconscionable actions of those who call themselves Jews, but aren’t. The rabble-rousers who want to destroy our country would pit EACH person against all others if they could. They start with the easier groups first, amongst which are the Jews. Bizarrely, loads of white people are now even denigrating their own kind and calling for their removal from the earth!
So if you relocate to another country, you could soon be joined by many other groups. Perhaps the only folks left in the U.S. would be the few (relatively speaking) who drove everyone else out with their hate. It’s humorous to contemplate what the psychos would do when the most productive people leave, victims of their hate.
Grammyprepper aka Lee says
Amen, Gaye!
peter kuebeck says
When my dad arrived at Ellis Island.. in ’57 you had to serve in the military, have a sponsor and have a job before you could stay in this country. Today this is 180 degrees from where we were and the country was at it’s zenith at that time is now at it’s Nadir.
The media is also in the same shape as the country.
Nancy Tinney says
gaye, i can’t help wanting to correct some of your misconceptions about immigrants. for example, that they pay few or no taxes. if they’re employed, the employer must deduct certain taxes–like social security–from their wages, even if they don’t or never will qualify for the benefits those taxes pay for. every time they buy something, they pay the same sales taxes we pay. through the rent they pay, they contribute to their school budgets just like everyone else. you say they willingly get themselves into debt which we write off–illegal immigrants don’t have the opportunity to accrue debt, unless you’re talking about loan sharks; and we certainly don’t subsidize those debts! they don’t pay premiums for private health insurance: true, because they don’t HAVE health insurance. urban folks may be able to go to a free clinic, but most of them do just what uninsured citizens do–they wait until they’re sick enough to go to the e. r. for treatment. we’re supposed to give up ours {private health insurance} in exchange for some va-type nightmare? ask anyone in ANY other “developed” nation whether they think their single-payer government-run health system is a nightmare. and then consider that every single one of those nations has a greater life expectancy and better health outcomes than we do. and lower maternal and child mortality rates. and they spend many, many times less on health care than we do. i should have that kind of nightmare every night! as for the camps…no of course they’re not nazi concentration camps, and their purpose is not to exterminate any race or ethnic group. the inmates there are political prisoners, being confined and tortured for political purposes, which is another kind of concentration camp, according to the encyclopedia brittanica. but there are some similarities to the nazi camps: the inmates are forced to live in their own filth; they are kept there regardless of whether they have committed a crime or not (crossing the border to request asylum isn’t a crime); they are underfed and forced to drink water contaminated by human waste; they are deprived of any diversion or entertainment; and they are so crowded together that there is no place to lie down and sleep. the only thing that’s missing is the gas chambers. and anyone who thinks it’s better to “get it for free” than “work hard for it” should start by spending some time there!
Dwight says
So much is wrong with your thinking. Yes, it is a “CRIME” to cross boarders illegally! If you still believe they are drinking toilet water; than think again. If there is water to run toilets there is water (from a sink) to drink. Rethink which pill you are taking daily Red vs Blue. Leave the lies!
nancy tinney says
1. yes, it’s a misdemeanor to cross the border illegally; a crime on the same level as stealing a candy bar from a 7-11 (i don’t think people who commit misdemeanors deserve to be held in those conditions for weeks). what i said was that it’s not a crime to cross the border to request asylum, and that’s true. many of the detainees are those who came across asking for asylum. 2. in some of the cells, the toilets were working but the sinks were not. 3. my opinions don’t come from pills but from information coming from actual journalism.
Dwight says
Congratulations – spoken like a true; fake news occupy Matrix collective citizen.
Farmer Phyl says
Congress passes all legislation that is federal. Not the president! If the immigration laws are immoral or inhumane, blame congress. If you don’t want immigration laws enforced, get Congress to change the laws. But the laws on the books need to be enforced. I don’t get to decide what laws I will follow, and which ones I will break. Hold congress accountable for the mess at the border. They need to stop fighting and DO THEIR JOB!!!