Well, here it is another weekend. But, this weekend is different, it is Memorial Day weekend! There are several important things about this years Memorial Day Weekend. I was blessed this year to perform a Wedding for a couple who where apart of the youth group at the church I was youth minister for. It was wonderful.
Also, this week was my daughters (In Law) birthday, and this monday is my other daughters (In Law) birthday, and my sisters birthday. WOW, a lot happened in May for the family.

But, the real reason to remember this weekend is to honor the Men and Women who have given so much so that goons like me (and you) can write blogs and silly things like that.

Over the history of this country, men and women have given all to ensure that individuals would have the freedom to pursue happiness. I really like the way the founding Fathers said it, "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." I think over time we have forgotten these words or have redefined them to mean something the writers did not intend.
First, we see that the founders of this great nation believed that there was a "truth". By definition a truth is something that never changes, is eternal. The founding Fathers understood that "truth" was permanent.
Secondly, these "truths" were and are self evident. What does that mean? These truths are without debate. The "truth" while it can be questioned, was been, is and will always be found to be true.
What "truths" did the founding Fathers see as so plain that they declared them "self-evident" or as needing no other defense or proof? That all men are created equal.
Equal, is that true? What does equal mean? If I am 6'4" and my neighbor is 6' are we equal? No we are not, it that sense. If I weight 245lbs and my neighbor weights 195lbs are we equal? Again, the answer is no. So, did our founding Fathers intend for the words, "all men are created equal" to have a relationship to our physical persons, our intellect, or our gender? What about our mental makeup? Surely, they didn't think that all men had the same intellectual abilities or were the same height, did they? Of course not! They go on to tell us.
We have been shown these truths, these truths that need no other defense or proof, that the Creator has "endowed" man (mankind) with certain inalienable rights.
So, are we to beleive that "the Creator" gave men something? You mean it isn't the Government that give us things? What a concept. So, the Creator gave men. endowed us, which is to say made it a part of who we are. For Him to do that we would have to believe that He made us. That in making us, he included these inalienable rights into the very fiber of who we are. It is interesting that the men who penned the Declaration of Indenpendence would write such a thing. Especially considering how a very small yet loud few seem to think the Creator, has no place in our Government.
So, lets review. So, far we have seen that the founding Fathers understood that truth existed. That a Creator in making man, incorporated within him inalienable rights.
Ok, so far so good.
What were these rights.
The first is life. Ok, so the Creator gave us life. Do you think the Founding Fathers maybe just didn't understand? Isn't life a choice? I mean, surely in this modern time, we understand that life is a choice. It seems that we either have forgotten what the Fathers wrote or we have changed the meaning to suit our own selfishness. When a child is conceived do we or can we really even begin to think that we have given life? We are fools to think that we have the power to give life. We are only vessels, it is the Creator who gives life. Each of us has the right to life according to our most revered documents. Yet, now we have changed the meaning to suit our own ignorance and selfish desires.
The second right is liberty. Did this mean that we all have our individual right to do what ever we want too? Of course it can't meant that, for that would override the rights of others. So, what could they have meant by "liberty". It means a basic freedom, not a total freedom. It meant that we are not "owned" by anyone or anything. In fact I think we fought a war (amonst ourselves) over this one. It does not mean I can do what ever I want to do, as some would now say.
The third right and this is the one we have really screwed up, is the pursuit of Happiness. How many times have I heard someone say, "I have the right to be happy" well that is just not true, you have the right to pursue happiness, but what if you just never catch it? Who's fault is it when someone is not happy? We are now experts at blaming others when we are not happy about something. Our founding Fathers did not promise happiness, they declared that the ability to seek, desire, search for and pursue happiness was our inalienable right. But, what if my happiness make someone else sad? Oh no, we can't have that now can we? It is amazing to me to see so many law suites based on this very principle. If you, make me sad I will sue! That is crazy. Or, moreover, if I feel that you make others sad, I will sue for them. What happens if my pursuit of happiness causes your pursuit to be cut off? Well, if that is the case, than it really only matters who has the better legal team or the loudest voice.

I think our founding Fathers had some timely and timeless ideals. They voiced them well and understood the meaning of each word. We would do well, to get back to those ideals, to once again live the dream they shared with us.

Over the history of this country many have died or been wounded to defend your "right" to think, speak or act the way you want too. The founding Fathers did the same to start this great Nation. We however, have lost the mental stamina and guts to fight for what they believed in and instead we let a vocal few, scream not for the right to life but for a choice to take a life if it doesn't fit into our plan, not for liberty of the unborn or the religious but for liberty to pervert, not for the pursuit of Happiness but for only the few to pursue their happiness regardless of everyone else.

We have lost our way and unless we go back to the basic, the Creator may remove the rights which He has given, and the Government will not be able to help one bit.

God Bless America and to all who have defended my "right" to say this, Thank you, you are a true America Hero.