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The Cost of Freedom

| Bob Glaze

On Thursday July 4, 2019, America will celebrate its 243rd anniversary of the signing of the “Declaration of Independence.” Congress had voted to declare independence two days prior on July 2, but did not actually declare it until two days later on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence was written by The Committee of Five: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. There were a total of 56 signers. Many of these signers paid the supreme sacrifice for freedom from oppression and outright terrorism. 

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. …

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

“Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

“They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?

“Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.”

www.constitution.org

These men gave everything, only wanting freedom as payment, not government handouts. Would it be possible today to garner 56 men to sign a like document to free us from the tyranny of a government gone mad? I think even President Trump would be hardpressed to garner enough votes from both parties to support a bill of freedom. If President George Washington had to contend with such rabid socialists, we would not have a country today. It is high time men of faith and courage raise their voices and declare themselves and their fortunes as a guarantee of freedom. We thank God for those who are convicted to do so. 

During the Revolutionary War, many who led the charge into battle were men who wore their black robes into the pulpit … only to remove them to reveal their military uniforms. These patriots beat their plows into swords and entered a conflict that determined not only their welfare but future Americans as well. Today, we must place the blame where it belongs: a lack of leadership foremost in the pulpit. There are far too many entertainers in the pulpits rather than fishers of men. The Hollywood crowd has nothing on many of these “preachers” in either acting or wealth.

It is not the British we must overcome today; it is our own countrymen. Our Constitution was the result of a pushback against tyranny and subjugation. The signers knew that this tyranny was not only reserved for the Brits but would eventually begin to thrive within the breast of those who would reduce the newly formed America into a futile state run by a master race of politicians. 

Those who penned the Constitution were men fresh from the grasp of imperialism who knew that only freedom could cure this land, and they understood the consequences of doing nothing. The Constitution is not a living document but must be interpreted in light of the intent of the men who wrote it, not what some modern-day socialist/communist interprets it to mean to further their own cause and to feather their own nest. 

Those who pervert the Constitution also pervert the Bible, for it was taken from God’s law and is the standard for not only America but for all men everywhere. Many have died over the course of the struggle to preserve the freedoms we have enjoyed since its inception. Those on the side of Satan constantly test our resolve and willingness to fight for a way of life that gives us freedom of worship, free speech, self-protection, self-determination, and home ownership. War is not revered, but is reserved to insure our way of life. Americans have been tested many times and those tests have been costly. 

  • The American Revolution resulted in 4,435 deaths. 
  • The War of 1812 resulted in the loss of 2,260 lives.
  • The Indian Wars (1817–1898) involved 106,000 service members, of which about 1,000 lost their lives. 
  • The Mexican War (1846–1848) involved 78,718 service members. 1,733 lost their lives in battle; there were another 11,500 non-battle-related deaths, and 4,152 wounded.
  • The Civil War resulted in 215,938 lost lives. 
  • The Spanish-American War (1898–1902) totaled 385 deaths. 
  • World War I (1917–1918) was known as The Great War and was believed by many to be the end of all wars. It involved 4,734,991 servicepersons, which resulted in 53,402 deaths in battle, 63,114 non-battle deaths, and 204,002 wounded.
  • World Was II involved 16,112,556 American servicepersons, resulting in 291,557 battle deaths, 113,842 non-battle deaths, and 671,846 wounded. 
  • The forgotten war, the Korean War (1950–1953), totaled 33,739 deaths.
  • The hated war, the Vietnam War (1964–1975), resulted in 47,434 battle deaths. 
  • The Gulf War (1990–1991) totaled 148 deaths. The stats for the “Enduring Freedom War” were not available.
  • The total servicepersons deployed for American wars to date is 41,892,128 which has totaled 651,031 deaths and 1,430,290 wounded.
  • For 243 years, brave American men and women have defended our nation’s borders and way of life with little thanks from the majority. The foreign wars were fought to keep the aggression out of the boundaries of the United States. However, there is a current thrust to move the aggression into the physical boundaries of the United States via invasion. 

The invasion of foreign countries owning land and corporations in the United States is a timebomb waiting to explode. The land ownership by foreign countries is difficult to search out because there seems to be no definitive laws or regulations concerning foreign land ownership. However, in the summer of 2017 it is reported that of privately-owned land in the United States, Canadians hold 28% or 7,250,834 acres; the Dutch, 19%; Germany, 7%; the United Kingdom, 6%; and Portugal, 5%.

The most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture data is from 2011 and reveals that foreigners own more than 25 million acres of U.S. farmland. Since that report was published, Italian buyers have purchased 102,000 acres; New Zealand 18,000 acres; Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates 15,000 acres. Along with foreign land ownership goes foreign purchasing of U.S. corporations, i.e., China is the largest pork producer in the world and is getting larger. If you have purchased a ham, bacon, or sausage under the Smithfield Company logo, know that China bought them in 2013. China now controls more than 400 farms and 33 processing plants. One in every four hogs in the United States is owned by China (www.motherjones.com) 

However, all eyes are on our southern border invasion, and all other invasions seems to have been placed on the back burner. Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats, along with some RINOs, try to hide the fact that the idea of a border fence has been part of other president’s agendas. President Bill Clinton became the first president to authorize building a fence along the U.S./Mexico border. He called it the Gatekeeper. It was to prevent undocumented immigrants from entering the country. In 2006, President George Bush signed the Secure Fence Act for the same purpose. These acts were signed and put into law. However, they were never completed. 

When President Trump called for a physical barrier to accomplish the same thing, it was called un-American. These illegals are the result of a Congress-initiated invasion of our southern border. There are 48 legal points of entry on our southern border, but are mainly for trucks, not families or singles. It is also noted that “97 per cent of illegal crossings along our southern border happen in areas that don’t have a wall or barrier” (www.realpolicy.com).

As the caravans continue to grow and move toward our border, so do the number of apprehensions. During the months of March, April, and May, there were 396,579 individuals apprehended trying to illegally cross our southern border (www.cdp.gov). How many more crossed illegally that was not apprehended. That constitutes invasion of a sovereign country. Most Americans are not against legal immigrants; all of those who went before us came from foreign lands, but did so legally. Those that enter should do so legally by vetting and only those that are disease and crime free should set foot on American soil. Any citizen from another country that enters illegally is automatically a criminal and should be treated as such. It is not fair for those who are and have gone through the process of becoming fine American citizens to allow others to enter with no consequences. 

The 41,892,128 men and women in the Armed Forces that died for this country died to keep it America—not a salad bowl, but a melting pot. This Independence Day let us remember the cost of freedom. “With a great sum obtained I this freedom” (Acts 22:28).