--Being born into the American experiment comes with immense responsibility. It is the job of all Americans to protect and preserve liberty. Our liberties were ensured by the founding fathers, yet gifted by God.

  Attempts from both interior and exterior forces seek to strip Americans of their God given freedoms. It is the responsibility of all those who understand this to fight it and strive to guarantee the coming generations have the same liberties we have. Thomas Jefferson once said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” Meaning that in order to maintain freedom the people must remain aware and poised in the fight against tyranny. If each generation fights to preserve freedom, freedom will forever embody the American experience. Patriots across America understand the urgency of this fight against tyranny, as freedom can slip away with the stroke of a pen. As an American, God has bestowed me with the responsibility to guarantee my children have the same opportunities I have.

  Philosopher Thomas Paine once said, “It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.” Paine understood that the country belongs to the people and not the government. He also understood that every patriot must be willing to fight for freedom in order to preserve it. The people own America, not the government. The government is in place to establish order and guarantee our liberties are not infringed. The government does not bestow rights, rights are inherent and come from the architect of the universe.

  John Locke defined natural rights as “Life, Liberty and Property.” Locke believed each individual ought to have a right to live, to be free and to own property. Without natural rights the individual is dependent on the will of the collective. Collectivism ultimately leads to mob rule where political minorities (non conformists) are disregarded politically or killed. This has been proven throughout history. Whether it be Stalin’s ‘great purge’ of political opposition or Hitler’s mass incarceration of political opposition into concentration camps, history teaches us when government is in control of the people, the people pay a grave price.

  Author and pundit Mark Levin stated, “The Founders believed, and the Conservative agrees, in the dignity of the individual; that we, as human beings, have a right to live, live freely, and pursue that which motivates us not because man or some government says so, but because these are God-given natural rights.” The dignity of the individual is the most crucial element of American society. Individualism defines our Nation, and each individual in America has been bestowed rights by God that cannot be infringed. It is the duty of the individual to express their opinion and stay vigilant. As without vigilance, liberty can slip out of our grasp.

  Government doesn’t guarantee rights, God does. As a human being, you have the right to live freely and pursue your interests. In many countries this is not possible. Due to extremism and tyranny, many in the world will never obtain the freedoms Americans take for granted. To assert government guarantees rights infers that the government rules over the people. That is not the proper role of the government. Government did not build Western Civilization, individuals pursuing their passions lead to the development of Western Civilization. It is the duty of all Americans to hold the government accountable. Without accountability of government, tyranny is inevitable. 

  Austrian Economist Murray N. Rothbard explained why the individual has natural rights, “Man has rights because they are natural rights. They are grounded in the nature of man: the individual's capacity for conscious choice, the necessity for him to use his mind and energy to adopt goals and values, to find out about the world, to pursue his ends in order to survive and prosper.”

  Individual prosperity is a direct result of liberty. In order to ensure each individual is guaranteed their natural rights, the people must live up to the task granted by the founders: preserve and protect the individual from tyranny. My responsibility as an American is to fight tyranny and to preserve freedom for future generations.​

PUBLISHED BY THE FREE MEN REPORT 01/05/2019