“A Republic… if you can keep it.” (Ben Franklin, 1787)

Today is May 4, 2024. Fifty-four years ago today, protests were raging around this land of ours. Four young people were killed in the state of Ohio. America appeared to be “on fire.” A war was raging 8,000 miles away from our shores to the rice paddies of Vietnam…and so I begin. 

I have never professed to be a great word-smith. So, please forgive me if this message is unclear. I desire to offend no one… but it is in the nature of writing that someone will be offended… for no writer can please everyone.

I began writing this blog on February 29, 2020. From that day forward, I have attempted to stay apolitical in my writings… attempting to “lean” neither to the right nor to the left of the political spectrum. This is not an easy task, for any writer… for every writer has their own inherent beliefs.

Many who followed me over these years know I love my country. Is it flawed–Yes; has evil existed in America from its beginning–Yes; have people been enslaved–Yes; does racism exist–Yes; have men and women been wrongly imprisoned and executed–Yes. Are these and other atrocities still happening today? YES.

However…

Today, more than 320 million people inhabit this country. America is still, at least for today, the land where others worldwide seek Freedom.  Yet, there are many in our world and many who now live here that wish to see this American Experiment fail.

Heck, our Founding Fathers, in Philadelphia in both 1776 during the Continental Congress, could not agree on a Declaration of Independence. And similarly, at the Constitutional Convention in 1787… where it took all of Franklin’s skills to have those who signed it… Sign it.

Fact… On September 17, 1787, 39 of the 55 delegates signed the new document, with many of those who refused to sign objecting to the lack of a bill of rights. At least one delegate refused to sign because the Constitution codified and protected slavery and the slave trade.

So… we can see by this fact, that this country got off to a shaky start. And if you’ve been watching the news at all and not living under a rock… we are still on shaky ground today in the 21st century.

However…

Pictures and videos captured on college campuses around the country show FREEDOMS that do not exist in other countries around the globe. I’ve seen the American Flag burning. I’ve seen the halls of education defaced. I’ve seen young people yelling and screaming obscenities at people, who because they were born into a certain religion or race, that they are somehow evil.

Would these same “protesters” have the FREEDOM to do this in Iran, North Korea, China, or Russia? Why don’t we all ponder that question for a minute?

I’ve titled this blog, “If Necessary…Use Words.” I have many more thoughts on this matter, but pictures and videos can say it much better… for I am indeed a poor word-smith.

I will continue to pray for my country… as flawed as it is… for I wouldn’t want to live anywhere esle.

I’ll end with these words… written by Richard R. Beeman, Ph.D. concerning the title of this blog post…

“If there is a lesson in all of this it is that our Constitution is neither a self-actuating nor a self-correcting document. It requires the constant attention and devotion of all citizens. There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: “A republic… if you can keep it.” The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement of the people…”