By the Grace of God and the blood shed in our protection, we like to think that we are free.  But, here's a question ... Which liberty can you surrender and still look the world in the eye and say "I am free?"  But to answer that, you have to know precisely what your “Liberties” are.  Do you?  Do you even care?

It does not appear so.

During this campaign climax, look at the blogs.  People are lining up to make a comment about this candidate or that one.  But no one seems able to relate their likes or dislikes for one or the other based upon the deeply rooted issues of our Liberties.  Instead they focus on the influences upon the economy, financial markets, jobs, etc.  Yet, each candidate’s position will have a deep and profound effect on one or more of our Liberties.

Nowhere is this more in evidence than the attention paid to National Elections, and in that, the majority chorus laments this problem or that problem with a candidate and the voices raised are clamorous.  Everybody has an opinion to be brought out at this time.  The next most vociferous time is in state elections.  But local elections hear barely a whisper.  Yet, among them all, rarely if ever is heard a discussion as to what effect this candidate or that will have on our Liberties.

And when it comes to the election of judges, the silence is deafening, because sitting judges, even the corrupt ones, rarely have opposition!  That’s our fault, too.

That silence, over the years, has proven that we have not paid attention; and our lack of attention has cost us more dearly than most of us yet realize.

We once had the liberty of a “Right to the Courts”.  We don’t anymore.

We once had the liberty of a “Right to speak”, a “Right to be Heard”, a “Right to Petition those in government for a redress of your grievance” and a “Right to be Equally Protected under the law”. 

We don’t anymore … not in serious matters which affect your daily personal safety or that of your children from every threat.  Why?  Because we forgot to care for our property AND forgot, too, that we truly are our brother’s keeper when those Liberties came under attack.  We have surrendered ourselves, our children, and our neighbors to servility, and did so without a whimper.  And yes, Marines are included in that.