I think it's safe to assume that the overwhelming majority of people know the Spiderman mantra, even if they don't really know where it came from - “With great power comes great responsibility.” Yes, that simple bit of wisdom actually came from a comic book. Go figure...
In a nutshell, that phrase means that if you have a certain power or advantage over others, it's up to you to use that gift responsibly. It doesn't make you better than others who don't possess the same gift; it just makes you different.
That being said, I'd like to make a similar statement to apply to our system of government - “With the great rights guaranteed by our Constitution, it's your great responsibility to maintain those rights - not just for you, but for all.”
How is it that our citizenry, with one of the most powerful tools ever created at their disposal – the internet - a tool that people as recently as our own parents didn't have, can't be bothered to research what this nation is about; how and why it was founded, the wars we've fought, the people we've freed, the people we had a part in enslaving, the good we've done across the globe? Everything, all of it – the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful. The angel's wings and halos our brave fighting men and women have earned fighting for other people's freedom. America's history is at everyone's fingertips; all you need to do is look for it.
Here's the deal – our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the most brilliant documents ever written, set forth by the most brilliant men ever assembled in one place, at one time, are not safe. There's no fail-safe, however, written into those documents to protect them from us. We are the guarantors of the freedoms enumerated for us, not the government. If anything, the government has proved itself incapable of safeguarding our freedoms, especially since the Woodrow Wilson era. It's up to us to teach those around us what America is, her role in the world. Teach your children what it means to be an American, and how to take the responsibility of that seriously.
We are the stewards of our own rights, not the government. It's our responsibility to ensure future generations have the same rights we've enjoyed. We're failing miserably in that responsibility, and our children and grandchildren will be the ones to pay the price. ~ Hunter
In a nutshell, that phrase means that if you have a certain power or advantage over others, it's up to you to use that gift responsibly. It doesn't make you better than others who don't possess the same gift; it just makes you different.
That being said, I'd like to make a similar statement to apply to our system of government - “With the great rights guaranteed by our Constitution, it's your great responsibility to maintain those rights - not just for you, but for all.”
How is it that our citizenry, with one of the most powerful tools ever created at their disposal – the internet - a tool that people as recently as our own parents didn't have, can't be bothered to research what this nation is about; how and why it was founded, the wars we've fought, the people we've freed, the people we had a part in enslaving, the good we've done across the globe? Everything, all of it – the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful. The angel's wings and halos our brave fighting men and women have earned fighting for other people's freedom. America's history is at everyone's fingertips; all you need to do is look for it.
Here's the deal – our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the most brilliant documents ever written, set forth by the most brilliant men ever assembled in one place, at one time, are not safe. There's no fail-safe, however, written into those documents to protect them from us. We are the guarantors of the freedoms enumerated for us, not the government. If anything, the government has proved itself incapable of safeguarding our freedoms, especially since the Woodrow Wilson era. It's up to us to teach those around us what America is, her role in the world. Teach your children what it means to be an American, and how to take the responsibility of that seriously.
We are the stewards of our own rights, not the government. It's our responsibility to ensure future generations have the same rights we've enjoyed. We're failing miserably in that responsibility, and our children and grandchildren will be the ones to pay the price. ~ Hunter
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