Dear Mr. Franklin

By Tammy Derouin

When asked at the closing of the Constitutional Convention, “what have we got – a Republic or a Monarchy?” Benjamin Franklin stated, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

My daughters were away when we lost the last branch of government.  Upon seeing them, my hugs were a little bit tighter than usual.  My oldest knew something was wrong but I couldn’t tell her at that moment.

How do I tell them that our nation is collapsing?  How do I explain that in addition to the legislature complying with the wishes of the executive branch, the judicial branch has fallen as well?  How do I explain that the American people allowed freedom to slip away? How do I explain our nation has fundamentally changed?

I began to write as if I were updating Benjamin Franklin on the state of our nation.

Dear Mr. Franklin

Sadly, Americans stopped paying attention.  They didn’t learn their history and didn’t see the signs of impending tyranny.  Sadly, we didn’t cherish our freedom enough to guard against its loss. We didn’t keep the republic that every generation before us fought and died defending.  Has every soldier and every civilian who fought for freedom on the homeland and oversees died in vain? 

Apparently, the responsibilities which come with freedom became too difficult to maintain.  It became much easier to rely on the government to provide our needs.  Self-reliance and personal responsibility became old and tired qualities.

We as a nation turned our back on God, country and ultimately it will impact our families.  We chose to eliminate most evidence that we were founded as a Christian nation.  We are currently in the process of changing our history and our traditions. 

We cheered away our freedom for special interest and personal agenda satisfaction.  We didn’t question the actions of a runaway executive or hold Congress responsible for not reining in the executive branch. Now, once again, we cheer away additional freedom as the judicial branch abuses its responsibility.  

Congress is no longer relevant.  They’ve been working on that consequence for some time.  Time and again, they have proven they will bow to the executive branch.  The Supreme Court has fallen in line with the ruling party.  We no longer have a president, although I stopped calling him that a long time ago.  We have created a dictator.

Independent thoughts and beliefs are becoming criminal.  Investigating facts and debating theories are proving to be dangerous roads to travel.  If you don’t agree with the ruling party, you become a target.  We have willingly turned over our God-given rights to an ever growing, soon to be all-powerful, centralized system of government.   The government will soon decide what’s right and wrong.  They will decide if we even have rights.

Unfortunately, what those who are cheering the loudest do not understand is that a precedent has been made.  They may be happy at the moment but the long term effects will have them yelling and demanding their entitled freedoms, which of course, will no longer exist.  

Those who wish to uphold the Constitution have been turned into villains. We have been branded as hateful individuals.  It isn’t that we don’t have compassion or lack understanding on the issues facing our country, we simply want to follow the law of the land.  The Constitution was designed so that no matter who was in office, any office of government, the law would be followed.  The checks and balance system of government which we have carelessly discarded, were key security measures to remaining free.

We have forgotten, Mr. Franklin, what tyranny looks like and have chosen to believe that we live in an oppressive nation.  I have no doubt that we will soon find out just how good we once had it.  We have willingly become a nation of men.  The ruling party will decide what is legal and what is illegal. Apparently, it only takes a pen and a phone.

I am so sorry we have failed. I was born in a free nation, an exceptional nation because of the sacrifices of those who came before me. The way we are going, I will not die in a free nation. I will not be able to pass on the blessings of liberty to my daughters, my posterity.  But, I will cling to the flag and everything it once represented.

With my sincerest and heart breaking apologies. 

A patriot.

Every year, for the past several years, it has become more and more difficult to celebrate Independence Day.  We have become a dependent nation.  We celebrate but we don’t understand what we have lost.

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

The Declaration of Independence.