A Day to Celebrate Our Unalienable Rights, and Our Future
Submitted by Wes Clark on July 3, 2006 - 1:46pm.
Civil Liberties
July 3, 2006
When I was growing up in Little Rock, the Fourth of July was a day we looked forward to for the fireworks. But as I grew older, I realized that there is a lot more to the Fourth of July than just a summertime celebration.
Independence Day commemorates a remarkable event when brave Americans put their lives on hold -- and at risk -- to resolve and act for the rights of their fellow citizens, for their liberty and individual freedom.
To hear my full thoughts on the importance of this special holiday, please listen to my Fourth of July ClarkCast via iTunes or another podcasting service or directly download the podcast here.
The Declaration of Independence, a document whose power sparked a revolution in the 13 colonies -- and has motivated a revolution that persists around the world even today, exactly 230 years after it was signed -- still holds an incredible intensity that translates far beyond the English language:
“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
These rights became the foundation for all we hold dear in America: our democracy, our economy, our civilization, our ideals, and the values that have protected us and kept us safe.
We have a lot to be proud of -- there's never been an experiment in human living that has led to a happier "mid-term" result. I say "mid-term" because I believe our best days really are in front of us. We have many new frontiers still to conquer, frontiers that will transform the way we live and lead our lives: advances in science, health, energy, and the nature of learning. We continue to increase our understanding of the world we live in, which in turn improves our ability to make the direct judgments that democracy requires.
These are great frontiers to work on, to advance across, to conquer in our times.
We can do that. We can do it because we are the same Americans whose forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence. We're Americans by heritage, by culture, by will. It was and is our choice to be Americans, and to live with the spirit of daring, of risk taking, of commitment, of determination, of courage; all of which mark the signatures from that special day in Philadelphia 230 years ago.
We just have to accept who we are and live that heritage.
To hear my complete thoughts on Independence Day, please listen to my special Fourth of July ClarkCast
Gert and I wish you and yours all the best, and hope you have a safe and happy Fourth of July holiday.
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Thank your for your very postive message about how you see the future for our country.
Reading the op-ed I blogged about here on the prisons the British ran in NY during the Revolution, it's a very poignant 4th this year. More men died in prisons than in combat. They were the first "insurgents" or "enemy combatants" if you will. After this war, the world community started taking more of an interest in the treatment of POWs or whatever "the king" calls them at any given time.
Also, the real truth about our economy is summed up with WalMart's profits for June. They blame it on the high gas prices. Ya think? Time for alternative energy, starting with getting E-85 to the pumps in places where they don't have to truck it very far.
I was on a diary at DKos about the Sy Hersh New Yorker article describing among other things what Gen. Pace has done in advising Bush about Iran. I had his back for awhile over there. The article says he talked Bush into taking nuclear weapons off the table in terms of Iran. Cheney was seriously thinking about it. Gen. Pace also is advising Bush how detrimental a war with Iran would be to our economy among the other obvious things. I invoked your name while I was defending him over there. I hope you don't mind. I figured you'd do the same thing I was doing if you'd happened on that diary. I had a lot of kudos on my comments over there:)
And very proud to be a Clark-supporter!
"We can do it because we are the same Americans whose forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence. We're Americans by heritage, by culture, by will. It was and is our choice to be Americans, and to live with the spirit of daring, of risk taking, of commitment, of determination, of courage; all of which mark the signatures from that special day in Philadelphia 230 years ago.
We just have to accept who we are and live that heritage."
That part ^ really sang to me. The idea of being an American "by will" as well as birthright-- and what it means in light of the special courage and bold actions of the founders and the forefathers. We owe it to the memories of the past as much as to the generations of the future to act just as boldly today. So in a sense-- we're sandwiched between dual endebtedness... to both past and future Americans!
This is not a time for a candidate who will offend no one; it is time for a candidate who takes clear stands and kicks ass.....Molly Ivins
I tend to get scared when I see what those in power are getting away with. I see most people just going about their day to day lives, seemingly oblivious to the damage these power-mongers are doing to our Constitution, and I always wonder, how bad does it have to get before they'll get involved?
I wish I could remain as positive as you, and I thank you for the continued inspiration and hope you offer. You, General Clark, are responsible for me changing from one of those uninvolved people to someone who will work the rest of my life to ensure the visions and goals of our founding fathers live on.
We are all so thankful to you for staying involved and if it's not too late - it things aren't too far gone, we are hoping to one day call you, Mr. President.
Bless you and your family, and Happy Independence Day to you all!
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right. - Hunter/Garcia
I'm up in the mountains on dial-up with my almost speakerless laptop, so I'll listen to it Wednesday when I get home.
A very best Fourth of July to you and Gert, and to the rest of you in Clarkdom.
For some takes on the Declaration of Independence, see my new blog entry.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world.
If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
Wishing you and yours a happy 4th. p.s. Re: Pinnacle, I only made it to the top once. Pinnacle at sunset
"Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words."
I plan to share your beautiful Fourth of July message when I am with family and friends tomorrow night and I plan to take "American Son" with me to let them watch as well. There's no better way to spend Independence Day!
You and Gert are an inspiration, and pardon me if this next statement is redundant but it is heartfelt: YOU give us hope!!!
Have a wonderful Fourth! And thank you once again!
For believing in The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States and for dedicating your life to fighting for the principles our country was founded on. Now, when so many of those principles are being attacked by our own government, I am thankful you are still fighting. Any hope I have for the future of the United States is only because of your continuing battle-and that of Clark supporters everywhere.
Will march in the cold and snow for the General.Was from the Draft Clark 2004 movement and been with him since.
Long Island For Clark
Will march in the cold and snow for the General.Was from the Draft Clark 2004 movement and been with him since.
Long Island For Clark
Happy 4th! Happy 4th, of July
General Wes and family.
It's wonderful to celebrate the 230th birthday of our country today. I love being in the patriotic atmosphere.
One opinion that comes to mind this morning:
With a proper emphasis on our unalienable right to Life and Liberty, it may be that we too often forget to emphasize the equal right to "the pursuit of Happiness" that Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Franklin et al deliberately included in The Declaration.
Ah, but then, there must be some mistake in that being the wording that has come down to us. After all, these are serious matters.
Besides, who in the world ever heard of a country being founded for the unalienable right to "the pursuit of Happiness"?
Happy Pursuit of Happiness Day to you, General Wes and Gert and all here in the Clark Community Network.
It was so good to read in your message that you believe that the best is yet to come. We look forward to pursuing that Happiness with you for another year.
We'll see where we all are on July 4, 2007.
Clearsky
:) in South Louisiana
What I most take pride of in America is our ongoing struggle to live up to the ideals that we professed in the Declaration of Independence. People always fall short of their ideals, but some keep trying to reach them while others don't bother.
I am proud to be a citizen of a nation that is still trying. Thank you for reminding us of that.
You didn't use very many words, but they said a lot.
Said maybe a little different way, I think that this country has always been a hopeful country. We always have hope that things will be better in the future. And we have the know-how to make it happen. And in this community we know the who who can lead the country to a better future.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world.
If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
And it solidified my thoughts for this Fourth: this country is ours and we need to take it back. From the suburbs to the streets to the platoons to the fields.
It's OURS, damnit, and I'm TIRED of the ignorance and can't do attitude.
Take it BACK. Wrest the power from the elites and TAKE IT BACK!!
Happy Fourth to you, General, and to your family, and to Clarkies everywhere.
Hi Wes,
In the off chance that you might read this, after reading some of Kevin Phillips, American Theocracy, we are going to have to have different expectations to have a brighter future in the days ahead as a people. The leader of China remarked recently, "Americans are like spoiled children." Given the history of China and the way people there have to live, he's exactly right. Their children study much harder than our kids and our way ahead in school of where our kids should be at any given age. They are rushing to study science and engineering in college. Our kids are not. Phillips says that China will be the world leader by 2040 and perhaps as early as the 30s. He says that due to the Bush years of reckless money management, the 10s and 20s are going to be very hard years in the US. Samuelson has an editorial today in the WAPO about global warming and how it is an engineering problem. He doesn't think we are capable of solving the problem to turn things around for the planet. If we don't have people studying to be engineers, he's got a point. For my entire adult life, much of the science and engineering skills went into work for the military. The grants for professors at major universities and others seemed to come from DOD to study various military problems since the Reagan years. I want to believe our best days are ahead of us, but it seems like we need a vision of what that would look like and be like.
I lived in Germany and have traveled all over the world. I envy countries like Canada and Australia that they can put their resources into their own countries and not be the military superpower of the world. I envied Germany all the really decent housig they seemed to have for all their people, regardless of income level. Of course, it might just be a small apartment, but it was well built and comfortable. The focus there wasn't on anyone having a McMansion. They cared about "the nature." People lived close together in neighborhoods and villages with great expanse of green space in between in terms of farmland and parks. We used to do that here, no more. Some of our best farmland now is developed with shopping malls and gated McMansion communities. As the leader of China said, "we live like spoiled children." The King of Spain and his favored administrators lived in the same way. They lost all their great wealth. Squandered it on their 30 years war and Inquisition in the name of religion. Britain did much the same, although they ended their days as an empire still as a creditor nation. We're the largest debtor nation. China, Japan, So. Korea have every right to call in their markers. We have not encouraged our own people to save. We've had leaders who told them to go shopping and put everything on plastic. We did the same as a nation. If this is post 9/11 thinking, it's just plain boneheaded.
Unless we take back the house and senate and reverse all of the damage of the Bush administration right away, I don't see how our best days are ahead. It takes real leadership to take us there. At the moment (and for the last 5 years) the inmates are running the asylum. I'm sorry, but after the fireworks and all the pagentry for the 4th I watched on TV, that's still how I see it. China is right. We do behave like spoiled children and adults (which is even worse). The oil companies can't be in charge and the Wall Strret investment companies can't be either. We need leaders who can put our smartest people to work in fixing all the problems the way FDR did. If we are lucky, our best years won't resemble the greed years we've had since Reagan. We will learn to live within our means. We will learn we are all in this together (WITT). YOYO (you're on your own) only creates a culture of spoiled children and poverty for everyone else.
Happy 4th to you and your family!