The Founding Principle
This is a post I receive from Dan Travis of “Fighting Back”, a radio Show that airs every at Saturday 1:00pm. You can tune in on WTBQ 1110AM or listen online by clicking here
With 39 men of incredible intelligence effecting the outcome of what would be the defining document of the greatest nation of the 19th and 20th centuries, it can be a rather difficult task to wade through the seas of political philosophies and beliefs of the founders and pick one that embodies, in whole and in part, the founding principle of the United States of America.
For myself, the personal discovery of this very simple political philosophy has changed nearly everything I was taught to believe about our nation’s governmental authority. For those who are somewhat well versed in the writings of the founders and the framers (Two different groups of people, by the way), it should come as no surprise that this principle comes to us via our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson.
“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our own will within limits drawn around us by the rights of others. I do not add ‘Within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrants will and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.”
Put simply, rightful liberty allows us to do whatever we want, whenever we want, so long as it does not infringe upon the rights of others. Whether something is “legal” or not does not determine if it is right or wrong. This philosophy does two things, it clearly separates morality from legality and it establishes a basic standard against which we can measure all action of government to determine if said government is within or outside the bounds of “moral” government.
Now, I know this talk of “moral” government will confuse some, so let’s put that fire out right now. When I speak of “morality” in government, I do not mean that government should find it’s way into regulating prostitution, drug use, or marriage. I mean to say that government can only be “moral” if it does not impose tyranny or oppression upon the governed. So long as the rights of all those around you remain intact, the government should remain invisible, silent and still.
I hope exposure to this political concept will have an equally powerful effect on your thought process as it has had on mine. Sometimes, (unfortunately, most times) we need to travel backwards by a number of centuries to find minds deep enough to allow us to move the fight for liberty forward.
