Happy 4th of July, my fellow Americans!! Happy 247th birthday America!! What a wonderful day to celebrate “Freedom”, right? After all the parades, band concerts, crazy eating contests, backyard barbecues, family and friends getting together, and finally the “fireworks” that we just can’t seem to get enough of, to culminate this glorious day; in the midst of all the hoopla surrounding today’s celebrations, the compelling question in my mind is – “how free are we?”
Do you feel more free or less free today than over the past few years? From my perspective, looking out over our Nation’s recent history of events, I believe America, in general, is much less free today than Americans have experienced over the past several decades. Why is that?
IMHO, it stems from witnessing the rights and freedoms of American citizens, who struggled and fought to obtain those rights and freedoms, consistently and intentionally being eroded. The right to fair treatment and equal justice under the law has been considered unconstitutional by six people who sit in the highest court in the land. Never mind that the vast majority of American citizens and the other two branches of the Federal Government strongly disagree with their rulings for taking away those rights and freedoms we have possessed as the law of the land for many decades. Fairness, equal rights, equal justice under the law, mutual respect, doing the right thing, have all taken a backseat to the extremist’s mindsets for taking control and wielding their whims over everyone else.
Minorities, women, Native Americans, and immigrants who want to make America their home, don’t stand a chance against this juggernaut of power and greed hiding under the veil of Christian righteousness. So what if they commit legally questionable acts, they just ignore the law that everyone else embraces and respects. These extremists double-dog dare you to enforce the law against them. If you try to hold them accountable, they attack you for being the righteous person. “Might makes right!!” I believe you better make sure you are right, before applying the might.
Gun violence is destroying the American psyche of living in a free society, one mass shooting at a time. To date, there have been over 330 mass shootings in America in 2023 and we are only half way into this year. The American public is screaming and relatives of victims are crying out for our political leaders to take drastic action to stop the slaughtering. But our leadership has turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the cacophonic roar of families demanding action. Unfortunately, I believe these leaders only listen to who can supply their desire for political power and corporate greed. Where is the freedom to live, work, and play without the threat of grave injury and death?
How did America allow this to happen? How did so many Americans abandon their moral compass and principles to follow leaders that care nothing about them other than their absolute loyalty? Just like the wolf in sheep’s clothing, these shepherds guide the “dumb” sheep to slaughter. These leaders are only focused on their selfish whims of controlling everything and everyone, not improving people’s life circumstances. Why are people so blind to the obvious or so biased against their neighbors that they want to garner control over others too? I don’t call that freedom. I call that slavery. But slavery was abolished in America in 1863, right? Nonetheless, it appears that the vestiges of slavery have raised their ugly head once again. No one is safe from the today’s slavery of human trafficking and exploitation, especially women and children. What will it take to abolish slavery once and for all in America?
It appears that the desire for political power and corporate greed is unquenchable and has taken center stage to control our daily lives, lifestyles and well-being. Businesses drive profit to insane levels to satiate investors to the detriment of customers and employees. How much power, wealth, and prestige can one person accumulate?
America has converted medical care and pharmaceuticals into profit centers for investors. Hospitals and medical facilities are more focused on profit margins than ministering to the needs of patients. The Hippocratic Oath of the medical professionals is thrown out the window when profit takes precedence over proper medical treatment. I heard a gentleman share with a friend recently, “hospitals are where you go to die”, perhaps that is why hospital staff work to get you in and out as quickly as possible or is it to just make room for another patient they can overcharge for their drugs and services? Are medical professionals more free to practice and administer care to everyone in need or only a select few? You be the judge of that statement.
Moreover, professional medical treatment is very discriminatory. Depending on your race, gender, ethnicity, and financial status, treatment is dolled out accordingly. For example, I believe a white, male, Anglo-Saxon, upper class member of society will receive the highest level of medical treatment that money and insurance can provide. In direct contrast, I believe black, brown, Asian, and females, of lower class members of society, even with medical insurance, Medicaid or Medicare, will receive the lowest level of medical treatment, if at all. Women are dying from lack of proper medical care, but no one seems to care. Life only has value if you are rich or have influence in social media circles.
Despite these problems, immigrants from around the world are still coming to America to enjoy freedoms they cannot have in their home country. America has always been a land of opportunity. As the plaque on the base of the Statue of Liberty cries out –
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
How similar is that statement to what Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30 NIV]
Have we lost the desire to help our fellow human beings, especially those who do not look or talk like us? How quickly we forget that America was built and continues to thrive because of our immigrant ancestry. For over 400 years, many different people from across the world journeyed to this new land to enjoy freedoms they never had before. When we formed this new nation, the United States of America in 1776, we worked hard to protect these rights and freedoms, even sharing the concepts and practices with other nations in the world to promote freedom, equal protection, and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Many men and women served, fought and died to ensure these rights and freedoms continued to be upheld in the lives of fellow Americans and freedom-loving people around the world through today. So why are we trying to deny other people the opportunity to enjoy these same freedoms, who want to work hard to support their families in our land, who want to become American citizens? Is it just because our political leaders would rather use immigration to bash each other’s political party with accusations of inaction to score political points rather than tackle the hard decisions to better organize and implement a fair immigration process? Must we be so myopic?
Jesus gave us the two greatest commandments to employ in our daily lives. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.” [Mark 12:30-31] If only every person in America would incorporate these two commandments into the core elements of their life, lifestyle, and family, then I believe the many problems America is facing could be overcome.
If we really desire for America to become a safer place to live, work, and play; to be more productive and innovative to the betterment of all mankind; and to be stronger to stand firm against tyranny and oppression, then we will need God’s divine providence. We cannot do it alone. Only the Lord can truly transform our Nation; to make it better.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” [2 Chronicles 7:14]
I am non-apologetic for my beliefs, my faith in God, and my stalwart focus on thinking, saying, and doing the right thing out of my love for the Lord and my fellow human beings.
I pray that Almighty God will continue to bless America and her people and restore true freedom for us all in accordance with His will.
Happy Independence Day!! Let Freedom Ring!!
Live, Love, and Grow in Jesus!!
Blessings,
Jerry
