Speaking Out

Does anyone out there listen? Probably not. Then why, you might ask, do I bother? Is it just because I enjoy hearing myself talk? Perhaps sometimes. Sometimes I think it's just to vent my own frustration and feelings of helplessness of doing anything with the situation. What can one small voice do to make a difference in sweeping floods of rhetoric (or more often lack thereof) that flood our radio waves, our television sets, and the internet. But I have decided that I will speak out. I will speak out, not because I think I'm the most qualified person to do so, not because I think I will be able to convince the masses with my oratory skills, or, heaven knows my complete lack of blogging skills. But I will speak out cause it's the right thing to do. I am a citizen of two countries, and one state. Let me list them for you in the order in which they take priority: I am a citizen of a Heavenly country. I am a citizen of the great state of Alabama. I am a citizen of these United States of America.

As I begin to write, I find that my fingers are flooded with all of the thoughts that have been flooding my mind over the past months, and I don't know how I will possibly get them all out. Even less do I know how I will make any order of them. But since I have started on this path, let me further expound upon my previous statement about who I am in terms of my citizenship.

My Heavenly Home
Anyone who reads this probably is familiar with my faith and my beliefs. By the grace of God I was raised in a Christian home, and brought up to love the Lord. He has never failed, despite my weakness and my rebellion, to be faithful to me, and thus my allegiance lies first and foremost to him. No other entity to which I have pledged allegiance may rightfully ask me to betray this most fundamental allegiance. In fact, my Heavenly Country so defines my life and relationships, that I only understand what it means to be a citizen of an earthly country in terms of who I am as a citizen of my Heavenly Country. Since I am not half as eloquent as Patrick Henry, I'll let him speak for me:

"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles."

I could expound upon this much further, perhaps I would bore you and you would never get to finishing.

My State of Citizenship
Now you may say I've got it wrong. I am a resident of my state, and a citizen of my country am I not? I am an American, and proud to be one. I believe I live in the greatest country in the world. But I also believe that the only reason we are as great as we are today is that we are still living on borrowed capital from our Founding Fathers. And the vision which they had for our country was one in which the States had Sovereignty, and the primary function of the federal government was in dealing with foreign nations or matter which concerned the nation as a whole. Thus I say, and I believe that almost all of the Founding Fathers would agree with me, that my allegiance lies first with my state, before my country. Incidentally, I think that Patrick Henry (again) said it best:

"The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them."

For this very reason, only specific, very limited authorities were given to the Federal Government. It is much easier for citizens to keep an eye on government which is close to home.
One of my other heroes, forced to chose between his state and his country put it this way: With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home.

My Country of Citizenship
Having no particularly brilliant thoughts on my relationship to my federal govt that have not already been expressed in my previous discussion, I will simply quote Thomas Jefferson on what the relationship with the government should be:

"A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicity"

I feel somewhat more relieved now that I have spilled a small portion of my thoughts onto paper. Perhaps I shall make this a habit. I welcome any input from the two of you that will actually read this.