TODAY, JULY 4, 2010, marks the 234th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is the 234th birthday of the United States of America, and on this occasion we are not just commemorating a remote historical event but celebrating the blessings of liberty we enjoy today because generations of Americans before us believed in the principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence and paid whatever price was necessary to keep this country free.

Now 234 years may seem like a long time. But when I contemplate that my Grandparents may have known people who knew some of our Founding Fathers, it doesn't really seem that long ago.

On this Fourth of July, while celebrating 234 years of American freedom and American exceptionalism, I find myself wondering: Will the United States, as we know it and as its founders envisioned it, survive for another 234 years? Will the principles so powerfully expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights endure for another two and one-third centuries? If George Washington and Samuel Adams and Thomas Jefferson could see what the United States of America will look like in 2244, would they be proud of where the intervening generations have taken the country?

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Will the 468th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence also be an occasion to celebrate America's 468th birthday? That will largely depend on what you and I do today to make that possible.

Again, the next 234 years may also seem like a long time. But keep in mind that the grandparents of some who are alive in 2244 will have known people who knew you and me. Will we be remembered and honored by them for having passed on to future generations the America our forebears bequeathed to us? Or will they have forgotten not only us but the America we knew? Will they even know what the Declaration of Independence was, and if they do, will they regard it as something to cherish or as nothing more than a historical relic?

Regrettably, there seem to be a lot of people today who that think the United States Constitution, adopted in 1789 and now 221 years old, has outlived its usefulness.

One the one hand, those currently in power in the White House and in the halls of Congress, while pledging fealty to the Constitution of the United States in their oath of office, are focused on phasing out that Constitution and rendering it superfluous by removing, ignoring or overriding all Constitutional limits to their power. They call that "progressivism," by which they mean progressively more and more power of government, progressively less and less individual freedom; progressively more and more internationalism, progressively less and less sovereignty of the people; progressively more and more cradle-to-grave dependence on government, progressively less and less personal responsibility.

On the other hand, there are those calling for a new Constitutional Convention. Their laudable objective is to stop progressivism in its tracks, but we don't need a new Constitution to do that. Moreover, it is a risky proposition, as we have no way of knowing what a kind of a constitution the delegates to a new Constitutional Convention − who would be appointed by politicians currently in office − would create. Rather than go down that path, we simply need to enforce the Constitution we have and throw out of office any legislator, executive or judge − and fire any bureaucrat − who oversteps his or her Constitutional authority.

All public officials, whether elected or appointed, and regardless of party, who exceed their Constitutional authority are violating the law, because the Constitution − not the President, not the Supreme Court, not the Congress, but the Constitution − is the Supreme Law of the Land.

Let me put that more plainly: Government officials who exceed their Constitutional authority are committing criminal acts, if not acts of treason, and must be removed from office. And that applies even to Supreme Court justices who, contrary to popular opinion, are not appointed for life but, in the words of the Constitution itself, "shall hold their offices during good behavior." Arrogating to themselves the power to override or "rewrite" the Constitution in their decisions, or to "legislate from the bench," does not constitute good behavior.

Few countries in the world (if any − it depends on your definitions) are still under the same system of government as they were when the United States came into being. Historically, however, some others have lasted much longer, such as the Zhou Dynasty in China (800 years) or the Turkish Empire (500 years). Yet with all we have going for us in the United States with a system and philosophy of government that has created the freest, wealthiest and most powerful nation in world history (and I'll stand by that claim), we ought to do better than either of those. The United States ought to be able to maintain its identity, its vitality, its sovereignty and its liberties well into the next millennium. Let's go for it!

Source: www.PerspicacityPress.com. Copyright © 2009 Rand Green Communications.
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