Monday, October 5, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
The 28 Principles of Liberty- Principle 8
“Men are endowed by their Creator with certain Unalienable Rights”
The Founders did not believe that the basic rights of mankind originated from any social compact, king, emperor, or governmental authority. Those rights, they believed, came directly and exclusively from God. Therefore they were to remain sacred and inviolate.
We may do something ourselves to forfeit the unalienable rights endowed by the Creator, but no one can take those rights from us without being subjected to God’s justice. This is what makes certain rights unalienable. They are inherent rights given to us by the Creator. That is why they are called natural rights.
We have other rights that are called vested rights, which are created by the community, state or the nation for our protection or well-being. However, these can be changed whenever the law makers feel like it. These would be things like areas that are off-limits for hunting, or the right to travel on the public highway. But, the government could not pass a law to destroy all life under the age of two or lock up everyone that is of a certain race, religion, hair color and so on. They cannot destroy the right to life or the right to liberty. A person could lose their liberty due to misbehavior, but not because they have a certain eye color, hair color, or religion.
Besides the right to life, liberty and property, we have many more unalienable rights. If you want to know what those are, read the book.
This article was adapted by Charity Angel from W. Cleon Skousen’s “The 5000 Year Leap” Learn about the 28 principles at www.theprinciplesofliberty.com
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The 28 Principles of Liberty -Principle #6
The 28 Principles of Liberty
Principle #6
All Men Are Created Equal
When we read the statement “All Mankind are Created Equal”, what do we think that it means? We know that we are all born into different lifestyles, have different talents and abilities, and different opportunities, so what did the Founder’s mean by that statement? There are only three ways that mankind can be equal, and they are to be treated as equals in the sight of God, in the sight of the law, and in the protection of their rights. Some people, like Jean Jacques Rousseau, get a little confused and think that this means that men should be equal in all things. John Adam’s called this type of thinking a “gross fraud”.
While our country has not had a perfect history in defending the rights of all, that is what the Founder’s intended. The breakdown really occurs with minorities. Minorities in any country feel like they are the outsiders and they want to be the insiders. What is interesting about America is that every group in this nation was once a minority. After the major influx of immigrants to the U.S., it was only two or three generations before the immigrants became first-class citizens.
After the Constitution was adopted in 1789, there were four amendments added to make sure that everyone could enjoy equal rights. These were the thirteenth, the fourteenth, the fifteenth, and the Nineteenth.
The Founders distinguished between equal rights and they recognized that society should seek to provide equal opportunities but not expect equal results, provide for equal rights, but not equal things; provide equal protection but not equal status; provide equal education opportunities but not equal grades. The founder’s believed that the moment that we tried to force people to have everything equally would be the moment that we lose our liberty.
This article was adapted by Charity Angel from W. Cleon Skousen’s book “The 5000 Year Leap”. (The same book recommended by Glenn Beck).
This series can also be found at www.LDSFreemen.com, The Free-Patriot Press, and printed in the Cape Fair Missouri Newspaper.
More on Glenn Beck:
Glenn Beck's request "The first thing you could do, please, is get the 5,000 Year Leap. Over my book or anything else, get the 5,000 Year Leap."
- It's the book Ronald Reagan wanted taught in high schools and Ted Kennedy stopped it from happening.
- When you read these principles, your mouth will fall open. You'll read it and you'll be -- the scales will fall off your eyes on who we are.
- You'll be able to know what makes it possible for 6% of humanity living under our free economy to produce 1/2 of the Earth's developed wealth every single year.
- It's the virtues and the principles that our founders believed in, that took us and pushed us and made us -- allowed us to take a 5,000 year leap from the dark into the sunshine.
- Help those people who have been deceived or misinformed find the truth.
READ THIS BOOK!!!!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
28 Principles of Liberty Principle 1-Natural Law
What is Natural Law? When the Founding Fathers sought to answer this question, they turned to the writings of Marcus Tillius Cicero.
Cicero was known for his philosophy of good laws, sound government, and the long-range formula for happy human relations. He understood that all of this could only be accomplished through recognizing and identifying the rules of ‘right conduct’ based upon the laws of the Supreme Creator of the Universe. Cicero also taught that man shares with his Creator the quality of using a rational approach, or common-sense, to solve problems. Thomas Jefferson referred these ideas as ‘the laws of Nature and Nature’s God’.
Natural Law is eternal and universal; it has also been defined as ‘true law’. Natural Law cannot be altered, repealed, or abandoned. Its basic principles can be understood by the human mind, and are completely correct and morally right in their application.
The first great commandment is to love, respect, and obey the all-wise Creator. The second great commandment is to ‘Love thy neighbor as thy self’. Cicero stated that justice is impossible unless it is based upon these two commandments. In his words, “For these virtues originate in our natural inclination to love our fellow-men and this is the foundation of justice.” These virtues are the glue that holds a just society together.
According to Cicero, any legislation that is in violation of God’s Natural Law is a scourge to humanity and it is a foolish notion to believe that all laws are good laws. Some legislation, he remarked, no more deserves to be called law than the rules a band of robbers might pass in their assembly. Just as deadly poisons prescribed by ignorant and unscrupulous men cannot be considered physicians’ prescriptions; neither can legislation be called law if it violates eternal principles. Even if an entire nation were to accept ruinous regulation, the true nature of the legislation could not be altered. In short, all law should be measured against God’s Law.
The Founders, who desired a moral and virtuous society which would cultivate freedom for the individual and prosperity for the whole commonwealth, sought to build our nation based upon Natural Law because they realized this was the only way to achieve their goal.
Unalienable Rights, Unalienable Duties, Habeas Corpus, Limited Government, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Self-Preservation, Justice by Reparation, the Right to Bear Arms and No Taxation without Representation are all examples of Natural Law that can be found in the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, laws protecting the family and the institution of marriage are also based on Natural Law.
Natural Law is the foundation and framework for everything that we have come to call ‘The People’s Law’.
When reviewing legislation that is either currently being considered or is already on the law books, we must ask ourselves the following two questions: #1 “Does this violate the laws of God?” and #2 “By practicing or implementing this law, will it allow me to say; I love my neighbor as myself?”. It is true that in these two questions hang all ‘true and just’ laws.
(The 28 Principles of Liberty are adapted from the book "The 5000 Year Leap" by W. Cleon Skousen. This article is also published at www.Myspace.com/angelsings www.LDSFreemen.com and the Cape Fair Cryer newspaper in Missouri.)