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Independence
Bought
By Mona Lease
Hi, all! This column is a little hard-hitting. Then again - the truth
usually is.
You all remember the story of "The Titanic?" Remember how there were
not enough life jackets? Remember the icebergs? OK - now scroll
backwards another 250+ years or so. Ships were not built as well as the
Titanic - luxury wise or even "smooth-sailing" wise. Oceanus Hopkins
was born aboard the Mayflower while it was at sea coming to what we
know as the USA. Records indicate that he died at the age of three.
Now, imagine you are on that ship or another one similar to it. You
have left Germany because: 1)There were wars between the German states.
2)Religious persecution of the Protestants. 3)High taxes. 4)Your
property being seized by the warring states. 5)You have no money
because you are not allowed to ship your products (dairy, linen,
woolens) to English markets.
Maybe you were English and you left because: 1)You did not agree with
the money/political situation. 2)Religious tumult...being told when,
how, where to worship. 3)A conflict between King James and Parliament
sparked a 7 year civil war. This caused the government to persecute
citizens and they left.
Scots-Irish people left because: 1)A famine destroyed most of the food.
2)There were more opportunities to make money in "the new world." 3)No
one was telling people in the new world how to make or spend their
money. This all kinda sound like today, huh?
You're on an overcrowded ship. You have watched people become so
seasick that they could not eat - and some died because of this. You
have watched people just die. You have listened to people moan -
wanting to die. And they could not. There were no "ship bathrooms" -
like today. Imagine the stench. Somehow - you make it to the "new land"
- The USA as we know it geographically today. You take a look around.
People are all around you - dressed differently - speaking words you
have never heard.
You finally become accustomed to all of this - a little more every day.
Eventually the day arrives when everyone knows there has to be rules of
some sort. People look backwards to what they left in the "old
countries" and what there is here - in the New Country. There were
problems there and laws there. There are problems here. And no laws.
They were in a new land with a lot of the same old problems. What to
do? Enter our US Constitution at it's conception.
The main thrust of our US Constitution was then (and should be now, I
believe) for no one person or group of people to have sole power - like
a King or Queen did. The first government was the Continental Congress.
Much has been added to our Constitution since it's original writing -
The Articles, it has been amended 27 times with the first 10 amendments
being collectively known as The Bill of Rights (This gives individuals
specific protection of Liberty and Justice. It also puts restrictions
on the power the government has.), and ratified/unratified amendments.
George Washington (Virginia), Jim Dickinson (Deleware), Daniel Carroll
(Maryland), Richard Dobbs Spaight (North Carolina), Pierce Butler
(South Carolina), Abraham Baldwin (Georgia), John Langdon (New
Hampshire), Rufus King (Massachusetts), Roger Sherman (Connecticut),
Alexander Hamilton (New York), William Patterson (New Jersey), and
Benjamin Franklin(Pennsylvania) were among the 40 who signed the US
Constitution on September 17, 1787. Now - you can know that families
told their children down through the years in the new land, why they
left...why it was better here...why they sent for the rest of the
family. And they would tell why some of the family chose to remain in
"the old country" - fear - ancestral roots, etc.
With the above - a fair assumption of how we got here, I believe - I
can not make myself believe that any of the authors/signers of our US
Constitution ever considered that their words would apply to same
sex marriages, states having to uphold these, or that pastors/clergy
would be forced/coerced into performing them. My question here is - If
the same sex marriage is a "better way" or "alternative life style" -
then why do these people insist on being known as husband or wife?
Thanks to the descendants of those who fought in the various battles so
we - the USA - could stand proudly and say - "We are independent of
Great Britain and all of her rules we believe are unfair." Happy Fourth
of July to all!!
Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the
furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next
time. Ever Toodles!! MONA
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