The Wisest Generation

The Wisest Generation

Much is written about the Greatest Generation, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and the like. Seldom do we drop back to the time of what I call the Wisest Generation. It was more than two centuries ago, at a time when our forefathers decided that “enough was enough”. It was 1776 when they drafted what became known as the Declaration of Independence.

The men of the Wisest Generation produced a document declaring their independence from Great Britain, a land they left to exercise their desire for freedom from what they deemed an oppressive government and society.

 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, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Thus was born the Declaration of Independence and a United States of America.

It was a battle, of course. England wanted the colonists to pay taxes to the King. What was it providing in exchange for those taxes? Yep, nothing. The King saw the colonists as nothing more than a source of revenue. Sound familiar?

Over the next dozen years, the Wisest Generation knew that order and rules needed to be established within the newly formed organization of individual states. Over a lengthy period of time, after a lot of soul searching, the Constitution of the United States was drafted. Those working on that document had to look not only at the current state of affairs, but at both history and the future. After all, they didn’t want their sons and grandsons to have to go through the same turmoil a few years down the road.

These were some pretty smart people. Knowing full well that, even in their lifetime, man had come a long way, that situations would change, that additional rules would need to be addressed to deal with those changes, they left some wiggle-room. There was no way, in 1789, that they could have seen the coming of the automobile, and a need to issue licenses for motorists. That is why drivers do not have a constitutional right to drive a car. Every state issues driving privileges, privileges that you must earn. Privileges that can be taken away.  But, our Declaration covers that, too. All men are created equal. Laws are not adopted giving any person or group any more privileges than another. At least, that’s the way it’s intended.

It is amazing, then, that the Wisest Generation saw fit to include RIGHTS within the Constitution that could not be taken away. The First Amendment, for instance, guarantees us the RIGHT, not a privilege, to worship…or not…any way we choose. It guarantees us a RIGHT to say what we want. It provides us with a press that is free to report on the deeds or misdeeds of government, free from government control.

The Second Amendment, the one we hear so much about these days, was apparently important to the Wisest Generation, in that it guarantees us the RIGHT to have guns. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. The language is simple. The message is clear. Even William Jefferson Clinton would have trouble honestly (I realize that’s a tough word for Clinton to swallow) interpreting that sentence to mean anything other than what it states.

While times do change, and we must adopt rules to adapt and deal with new challenges, you would think, at least, that our elected representatives could understand our core values, and would take to heart what the men of the Wisest Generation did to ensure a future society free from oppression from within and beyond our borders. If they have any doubts, I strongly suggest that each of our elected representatives refer to that sentence in the Declaration of Independence that states Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.  How often do we need to remind them that they get their powers from us?

You would also think that a president, who claims to be a constitutional scholar would abide by the oath he took to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States”. And, repeating what Chief Justice John Roberts seemed to prompt as a question, “…so help you God?”.  Barrack Hussein Obama said “…so help me God”.

So help me God is not part of the official oath. Neither is there a requirement to use a Bible in the ceremony. But, it has become a tradition for most presidents taking the oath. It’s ceremonial, to be sure, and what many feel is a presidential guarantee that he takes to heart what he is saying, that he will honor his commitment to the citizens of this Great Nation.

Let’s hope so.