"The power of parliament, derived from the people, to bind the people, was extended over those from whom it was never derived. It is asserted that a standing army may be constitutionally kept among us, without our consent. Those principles, dishonorable to those who adopted them, and destructive to those to whom they were applied, were nevertheless carried into execution by the foes of liberty and of mankind. . . . We refused to their parliaments an obedience, which our judgments disapproved of: We refused to their armies a submission, which spirits unaccustomed to slavery, could not brook." Congressional Address to the Assembly of Jamaica, July 25, 1775.
In today's age, we tend to forget that America gained its independence, in major part, because its people understood that the British Empire was asserting the authority to govern it without the consent of the people. As the Address to the Assembly of Jamaica explained, this went too far - it undermined the basic liberties of the people, and it was dishonorable. We refused to submit.
This basic First Principle, that of the Social Compact, is hardly understood today. Too often, we just assume that government action at all levels is done with our consent. This saps a basic foundation of liberty. Time to put the First Principle of the Social Compact to the test.
For more, visit www.PatriotWeek.org and www.AmericasSurvivalGuide.com.
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