Our Fading Heritage
Fellow Citizens,
I can not escape from my mind this quote: “All that our fathers wrought, with true prophetic thought, must be defended.”
With rapid progression, comes in some form, great regression, and with construction of the new, comes destruction of the old. In our society, evolution can be contrived with purposeful pressure placed on an environment, rather than to be derived naturally. Sacred customs, traditions, memories and lands should in all circumstances, be defended, and guarded with grave consideration.
Never should the preservation of our heritage be placed into the hands of those who have no connection to it. For it is a mistake to place trust and power in the stranger to oversee your sacred heritage. All measures and men should pass through the conscience and intellect of the Citizen, for the sake of Free Government. The enlightened citizen will make the best decisions over the survival or fate of his own sacred heritage.
We must reject in its entirety, and designate it as illegitimate, any form of Government which does not solicit the approval or disapproval of acts against customs, traditions, memories, and lands, connected to one peoples heritage. Benjamin Harrison, the grandson of Cincinnati President, William Henry Harrison, framed it best in his inaugural: “Wastefulness, profligacy, or favoritism in public expenditures is CRIMINAL.” A key word in this statement is Profligacy, which means: Reckless extravagance or wastefulness in the use of resources.
When Public Expenditure is misused to dissolve or alter one people’s heritage, lands, customs, and traditions, influenced by favoritism, special interest, and uniformed elected officials trusted to preserve the common welfare, is nothing short of Criminality.
To end, as Jefferson asserted as a principle of Self-Governance; “when governments become destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its power in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and Happiness.” “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is THEIR RIGHT, it is THEIR DUTY, to throw off such government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
May we never forget our heritage or reduce our sacred customs, traditions, lands, and more importantly, lose sight of the vital principle of Self Governance; that Power is derived from the CONSENT of the governed. May we through civic duty, vigilant and informed citizens, continue to frame the structure of our government to preserve the right of the Citizen to participate in governance itself; which directly effects his heritage and happiness.