End President's Day, Long Live Washington!

We recently went through the buffoonery of celebrating Presidents’ Day through grand sales at retail outlets and a delay in the post.  Why exactly the culture has decided that we should celebrate every single President - including the luminaries of Chester Arthur and Franklin Pierce - with deep discounts on appliances is beyond me.

Like so many of our other civic holidays, Presidents’ Day is mostly a sham.  It should be rooted out and our nation should again proudly celebrate Washington - alone.  He is truly the indispensable man in American history.  

The holiday was intended to commemorate the singular, historic accomplishments of George Washington.  February 22 (not the third Monday of February) is Washington’s true birthday.  After he was given to the ages, Americans began to celebrate his birthday without any government prodding.  In 1879, February 22 became an official federal holiday.  

That Washington deserved adulation was once a self-evident truth.  He played a key role in the skirmish that set off the French and Indian War.  That war led to enormous debt for the British Empire, which led the British imposing taxation without representation.  The British policy was a leading spark to the American Revolution.  Washington then commanded the Continental Army against the British.  Through a series of brilliant logistical and strategic actions, he wore down the finest military on the globe and won American independence.  In a masterstroke, he retired from public service.  Returning home to Mt. Vernon, he allowed the seed of freedom to sprout.  

Several years later, he was reluctantly cajoled to preside over the Constitutional Convention.  His support was crucial to ratification of the Constitution.  Not content to let Washington leave the field again, he was the only person unanimously elected (twice) as President.  As the first President, he created many of the traditions, and initiated many polices, that dominate even today.  He refused the major trappings of royalty, and understood his role as a president of a republic.  After his second term, he again voluntarily retired.  This act of relinquishing power was unparalleled since the ancients.   Awestruck, his nemesis - King George III - declared him the “greatest character of the age.”  For once, the King was right.

There was a time when Washington was recognized each year.  Today he is all but a caricature hawking carpets.  Although there are many reasons for this denigration, it was all but assured by the ruining of his holiday.  Beset by commercial and labor interests, President Richard Nixon issued an executive order fixing Washington’s Birthday on the third Monday on February.  Soon businesses and the popular culture transformed the day to “Presidents’ Day.”  Technically the federal holiday remains Washington’s - but practically it celebrates nothing.

The gutting of the holiday has consequences.  Like a religious liturgical calendar - which renews the faith of followers - America needs a civic calendar.  This calendar should make us pause to give thanks for our blessings and renew our faith in the country.  We still have the calendar (Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Veterans’ Day), but it has become so cheapened by money and three day weekends that it is worse than worthless. End the charade.

In his General Orders on July 2, 1776 to the newly formed Continental Army, Washington explained that “The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves . . . .The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army . . . . if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world.”  As a republic, his call harkens to us today.  The time is now in which the fates of millions rest.  Let us triumph.

Washington’s importance is why he holds a prominent position in the new civic celebration of Patriot Week, co-founded by me and my then 10 year old daughter Leah.  Patriot Week is renewing our civic calendar by celebrating the First Principles, Founding Fathers and other Patriots, vital documents and speeches, and flags that make America the greatest nation in world history. Anchored by the key dates of September 11 and September 17 (Constitution Day), Patriot Week renews America’s spirit and has captures the imagination and support of citizens across the nation.

Let us answer the challenge of freedom standing up for freedom and by vigorously celebrating Washington’s Birthday and Patriot Week.  

For more, visit www.PatriotWeek.org and www.AmericasSurvivalGuide.com.

We Hold These Truths....

“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 

“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 to 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.”

This Declaration of Independence is perhaps the most important document in modern history.  Its principles are we define this nation, and what we should celebrate this holiday.

As you enjoy the holiday (extending over the weekend for many), remember the sacrifices of our Founding Fathers and other great patriots over the generations.  Remember that it is up to us to preserve the sacred fire of liberty.  

Take same time and read the entire Declaration:  http://patriotweek.org/the-declaration-of-independence

For more, visit www.PatriotWeek.org and www.AmericasSurvivalGuide.com.

The Sacred Fire of Liberty - Our Republic at Risk

"The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." George Washington, First Inaugural Address.

Washington was right then, and right now.  The history of freedom in the world will rise and fall with the success of America.  That's why knowing our Constitution, our history, our foundation for freedom is so critical, and why it is so dangerous that we ignore them all.

To learn about how to combat the crisis, visit www.PatriotWeek.org and www.AmericasSurvivalGuide.com.

Stand Tall, Do Not Bow to the Government

"Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us?" William O. Douglass, US Supreme Court Justice

Justice Douglass' words remind us that we are Americans.  Being an American means quite a bit, the most important of which is that we are free men and women - there is no nobility or King here.  Too often our political class acts like its entitled to lord over us.  It is just the opposite - the government is intended to serve the people - the government is the servant of the people, not the other way around.  Be vigilant, stand tall, stand for freedom.

To learn more about freedom, check out Patriot Week and Americas Survival Guide.

Law = Freedom

"Our nation is founded on the principle that observance of the law is the eternal safeguard of liberty and defiance of the law is the surest road to tyranny." John F. Kennedy (1962)

Kennedy's insight is not always apparent.  Many would argue that the ability to flout laws, or to do whatever one wants without constraint, is the definition of liberty.  Superficially such a conception is appealing.  Indeed, it appears entire swaths of our society embrace that hedonistic view of the world.

However, what America has long understood is that it is the law - adopted by the people - that protects our liberties.  The Constitution - the supreme law of the land, protects liberty by dividing power among branches and limiting the authority of the government.  Enforcement of the Bill of Rights is especially important to protecting the unalienable rights of individuals.  Thus, paradoxically, the law is truly the great protector of liberty.

For more on the importance of the rule of law, check out Patriot Week and America's Survival Guide.

Freedom of Thought - Battleground of Liberty

"He who endeavors to control the mind by force is a tyrant, and he who submits is a slave." Robert G. Ingersoll.

Although Ingersoll's definition is not complete, it certainly captures a large swath of tyranny and slavery.   History is replete with tyrants who not only compelled action by terror and brutality, but conformity of thought. Pol Pot, Mao, and Stalin are just a few.

When must always be on our to defend liberty against those who want to control what we think - the very essence of liberty.  Freedom is lost not only by the bayonet, but in the most important battlefield, the mind.  Never submit.

For more on freedom, visit Patriot Week and America's Survival Guide.

History, the Key to Freedom

"A study of the history of opinion is a necessary preliminary to the emancipation of the mind." John Maynard Keynes.

Although Keynes was an economist, his observation that the study of history - of opinion and otherwise - is  the key to freedom was dead-on.  When people blithely accept what is, and do not understand the past, they are likely to be trapped in a mentality of complacency.  Understanding the past - as well as current events - is indispensable to ensuring liberty today and in the future.

That is why Patriot Week is so important - it enables us to understand the foundation of our liberty, and how to preserve today and the in future.  See also America's Survival Guide for more insights.

In the end, liberty or tyranny.

“I have sworn upon the alter of God, eternal hostility to against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” Thomas Jefferson.

In the end, America stands for freedom, and we need to commit to it.  In the end, what makes America unique is our dedication to liberty.  In the end, we either follow Jefferson, or go down the path of tyranny.  Choose.

For more, visit America's Survival Guide and Patriot Week.

"Liberty means responsibility. That's why most men dread it." George Bernard Shaw.

Shaws quote seems counter-intuitive - why would men and women fear liberty? Because then they are responsible - and accountable - for their actions.  It is much easy to lay back and have others tell you what to do - and if something goes wrong, you can always blame those in charge who made you do it.  Of course, this also breeds complacency, sloth, and mushy thinking - and that leads to dependency and paternalism, which in turn leads to tyranny.

Liberty is not meant to be easy, but it is the only way to enable all of us to reach our true potential and to enjoy our unalienable rights.

For more on liberty, visit Patriot Week and America's Survival Guide.