"Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work,knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58
I have said before but it bears repeating; we are in the danger zone in America. We as a county on a the precipice and if we do not pay attention America will be no more, at least the America that is the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. We will have willingly tossed away the blessing of America God freely gifted us.
Some of us will have tossed it away because we are fearful. Some of us will have tossed it away because we don't believe in freedom. Some of us will have tossed it away because we were apathetic. Some of us will have tossed it away because it was easier than standing and fighting. However, it won't matter why it was tossed away, the only thing that will matter is that it is gone forever.
What happened in Charlottesville over the weekend was evil and hateful and was a by product of allowing chaos and anarchy to rule. It was a by product of our society NOT protecting our inherent freedoms. Each side had the right to speak their mind but neither side had the right to shut the other down or become violent. Both sides spewed hateful rhetoric which turned into violence, both sides were equally culpable. Hate is not a left or right issue, hate is a heart issue.
People have the right to speak their mind even if it is repugnant, if you disagree with a point of view you have the right to NOT listen to it or to Stand and Speak your mind. That right was granted to us by God, enshrined in our Constitution, and protected by the blood of our military. It is not a right we should take for granted nor it is a right we as a society should allow anyone to take away. What you do not have the right to do is to commit acts of violence to illustrate how right your opinion is that the other side is wrong. That is lunacy and is not a constitutionally protected right.
Freedom of Speech is not Freedom to commit violence nor is it Freedom to Shout Down or Shut Down someone you disagree with. If we as a society do not protect everyone's right to freedom of speech then there will come a day when we lose our own freedom to speak.
We have allowed political correctness to run amok and dictate who has the right to speak. We have excused those who shut down opinions they disagree with. We have allowed riots, chaos, and anarchy to become the norm. We have allowed fear to rule. We have bought into the lie that this person or group's Freedom doesn't matter and is not worth fighting for because they are wrong. If being offended is the criteria by which we decide who has the freedom to speak then what happens the day your words offend someone? Who decides which words are OK and worthy of protection? If we strip Freedom of Speech because we disagree with someone or some group, which other Freedoms do they not deserve? Who gets to decide who is worthy of this or that freedom?
We are all in this together even those we vehemently disagree with. We all have the same freedoms to lose. As Benjamin Franklin said, "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."
The time to choose is here, we will either stand together or this nation will fall and not because of foreign adversary, it will crumble from within. Civility and Respect start with each of us. I believe your Freedom is worth fighting for, do you believe mine is?
Blessings,
Mel
