Declaration of Rights & Responsibilities

It’s been a while since I’ve been caught up on what Glenn Beck has been up to (two kids + crazy life = little time to sit and watch Glenn) 😦 but I happened upon an email that was in Hubby’s Inbox from Glenn Beck and clicked on it out of curiosity. It started off with the announcement that Glenn’s new two hour daily show (on GBTV.com) starts this Monday (September 12), so if you’ve been wondering where and when you can catch Glenn again, check out his website for more info.

But anyway, the part of the email that really caught my attention was a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities. I’m sure it was a group effort to come up with this, but I really like how Glenn and his team have basically taken the Bill of Rights and added personal responsibility to it. It’s something everyone should read and commit to as a citizen of this great nation. A nation of freedom and independence. Liberty and justice for all. And in light of this weekend’s remembrances, it seems especially appropriate. Hope you enjoy it:

Thus, we the people do hereby declare not only our rights, but do now establish this bill of responsibilities.

1. Because I have the right to choose, I recognize that I am accountable to God and have the responsibility to keep the 10 commandments in my own life.

2. Because I have the right to worship as I choose, I have the responsibility to honor the right of others to worship as they see fit.

3. Because I have freedom of speech, I have the responsibility to defend the speech of others, even if I strongly disagree with what they’re saying.

4. Because I have the right to pursue happiness, I have the responsibility to show humility and express gratitude for all the blessings I enjoy and the rights I’ve been given.

5. Because I have the right to honest and good government I will seek out honest and just representatives when possible. If I cannot find one then I accept the responsibility to take that place.

6. Because I have the God given right to liberty, I have the personal responsibility to have the courage to defend others to be secure in their persons, lives and property.

7. Because I have the right to equal justice, I will stand for those who are wrongly accused or unjustly blamed.

8. Because I have the right to knowledge, I will be accountable for myself and my children’s education…to live our lives in such a way that insures the continuation of truth.

9. Because I have the right to pursue my dreams and keep the fruits of my labor, I have the responsibility to feed, protect and shelter my family, the less fortunate, the fatherless, the old and infirm.

10. Because I have a right to the truth, I will not bear false witness nor will I stand idly by as others do.

Unconditionally, while maintaining my responsibility to compassionately yet fiercely stand against those things that decay the natural rights of all men. And for the support of this declaration, and with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence we mutually pledge to each other our lives, fortunes and sacred honor.

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It makes me feel like I was there with the Founding Fathers as they signed their sacred documents, and the gravity and weight of the matter they must have felt. I wish there was something we could all sign together to stand united in this same cause. But as it is, I’ll settle for printing this document out and signing it to keep with me at all times. May we never forget the liberties this country was founded upon and the role we play in maintaining those freedoms. And may God still bless this country… land that I love.

Educational Preparedness: Know Your Rights!

There is an article from the Preparedness Pro that I want EVERYONE to read. It’s called The Foundation of Preparedness Under Attack. I won’t say much about it because I really want you to read the actual article, but in a nutshell, it explains the importance of knowing what our rights and freedoms are. This bit of knowledge truly is the foundation of not only our preparedness, but our way of life.

I don’t expect that any of us don’t care about what our rights are. However, I do believe that many of us simply do not know or understand what our actual rights are. How do I know? Because I’m one of those people. If CPS showed up at your door and said they were taking your kids away from you because there was an accusation that you were not raising them properly, would you know your rights? I don’t! I’m pretty sure I would choke all over myself and stand by helplessly as I watched them take my children and try to figure out my next course of action. What if you were hauled off by the police for an accusation and you are told your choices are to plead ‘guilty’ or ‘no contest’ and that a judge will hear your case in a private setting? I’m pretty sure I’d just pee my pants and say “yes sir” and cross my fingers that everything turned out alright!

But NOT after reading that article! I am DETERMINED to learn more about what my rights and freedoms are! I want to be CONFIDENT in my rights because I know that, although this is a country that I love, government agencies and officials are going WAY beyond their bounds and taking power away from the people that are not theirs to take, simply because we, the people, do not know enough to say otherwise! For too long we have trusted the people we elect into office to take care of us and to learn the legal matters of our system so that we don’t have to. We’ve been content to put it all in ‘their’ hands. This cannot happen anymore. WE need to have the knowledge for ourselves. The power needs to be in OUR hands! WE THE PEOPLE!

So here’s my challenge. I am going to start ridding myself of ignorance and I want you to join with me! My first step is to read the Constitution of the United States of America. Confession: I have never read it. That changes now. I will give myself to the end of this month to read it in full and write down my thoughts on it. I hope you will challenge yourself to do the same. Even if you have already read it before, read it again. Take notes. What stands out to you? Hopefully we can have some future conversations on any insights we find there. And then we’ll move on to other books and sources of information to continually expand and increase our understanding. I hope you will join me because this much I do know: If we do not know our rights, they will be taken from us and will no longer be ours to enjoy.

Here is a link to The Constitution on the Senate.gov website. It even includes some explanations in the margins about what different Articles mean (since we don’t all speak 18th century English anymore). 🙂

The Constitution of the United States of America

I look forward to hearing what insights you come across and sharing mine as well. May we never take this sacred document for granted! Happy Freedoms!