In any other “normal” year, many of us would be gathering with family and friends this weekend to celebrate the Easter holiday.
But just like the past two years, this is anything but a normal year.
Back in 1916, the Irish chose Easter as a time to rise up against British oppression and proclaimed themselves a republic -- a daring move inspired by a desire for liberty.
This Easter in the United States of America, rather than an occupying one, we face a government that has grown more and more oppressive daily through the coronavirus crisis and stripping away our liberties every step along the way.
Thomas Jefferson famously said, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” That does not only mean we should be prepared to defend against foreign invaders. Perhaps more importantly it means that we must retain the lessons from the original American and Irish revolts and guard against a government that views the people as the enemy.
Two years after the initial “two weeks to flatten the curve” lockdowns, many Americans are still being told they must not gather in groups and should stay home on Sunday. Mask mandates are coming back to some parts of the country. Too many churches and businesses that were closed down because the government deemed them “non-essential” are gone for good. Those who speak out are criticized profusely.
One hundred years ago, a young writer Randolph Bourne said, “war is the health of the state,” and he lamented governments' success at taking authority and resources during conflict. But Bourne further explained that, “if the State's chief function is war, then the State must suck out of the nation a large part of its energy for its purely sterile purposes of defense and aggression. It devotes to waste or to actual destruction as much as it can of the vitality of the nation.”
The “war” we face today is not against foreign enemies, but rather on American soil against our own government as they seek more and more power, and as they suck out the vitality of our citizens.
The actions being taken benefit the special interests. They benefit the statists whose “expertise” is leading to disaster. They benefit Big Pharma. They benefit the mainstream media. They benefit the wealthy.
The government is using the threat of this virus to further gut our First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, AND Tenth Amendment rights. All under the guise of “keeping us safe” from the threat du jour.
The state uses their power to take away our freedoms. If we wish to survive as a free society, we must begin to exercise some of that “eternal vigilance” Jefferson spoke of against an ever more oppressive state -- and that is exactly what we intend to do. If the people demand change, the politicians will listen.
These are truly somber times.
But please don’t forget this Easter and Passover holiday, like this time of year, is about renewal and freedom.
I hope that you have a peaceful weekend and are able to spend some time with your loved ones.
For liberty,
Ron Paul
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