How to celebrate the 4th of July

Dear Editor, (submitted June 20, not published) 

Theodore R. Johnson’s “The Right way to celebrate” our nation’s July 4^th “semiquincentennial” focused too much on that big word and Trump’s “six-part plan” for a yearlong “Salute to America 250”.   We needed more words for making progress on the seven intentions in our Constitution’s preamble.  He did suggest we “spotlight all the things broken and flawed and hypocritical about our country”.  ChatGPT offered ten regarding his exact words:  “Inequality, systemic racism, social justice, voting rights, criminal justice reform, climate change, immigration reform, gun violence, healthcare access. and education reform.”  But it simply overlooked the blockade of extreme political polarization halting any progress toward a more perfect union.  Here’s one suggestion.  Start believing in ‘self-evident’ truths and codifying the two sets of law offered in just seven words “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” in the introduction to our nation’s July 4^th founding document, the Declaration of Independence.  What is so complicated about conserving nature (God’s creation) and taking care of one another (God’s will).  Abraham Lincoln called the Declaration our “Apple of Gold” and our Constitution its “Frame of Silver”. 

This week in testifying on capitol hill regarding laws related to the Bureau of Land Management an office holder said “Conservation isn’t a pious ideal.  It’s essential to our security.”   So anyone aspiring to a new nation should consider the sage words of Thomas Paine: “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” No true patriot would disagree.

Chuck Woolery

  

Public service vs Party servitude

 

Dear Editor,

Senator Rick Scott states the obvious stating “Washington is broken” (June 8, 2023 Washington Times).  But proposed a “Public Service Reform Act” misses the root cause of our government’s failings.  The fact that both parties have prioritized their own voters’ values rather than passing laws that could actually achieve the seven intentions stated in our Constitution’s Preamble.   They have turned ‘public service’ into ‘party service’ and created the most dysfunctional government since our Civil War.   Getting elected and re-elected is the highest priority for officials in both parties.  And this happens with money and marketing wit but not wisdom.

Wisdom would be voting for principled laws that honor ‘the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God’ that are mentioned in the most profound political document in human history that sparked the creation of our Nation.  This profound set of laws in the first paragraph of our Declaration of Independence preceded the “Truths to be Self-Evident.    Achieving our Constitution’s intentions would require our policy makers from both parties actually uniting together to amend our Constitution focused on self-evident truths instead of the flawed principles they often have in mind. 

They should consider the wise words that the author of Common Sense, Thomas Paine said "We have it in our power to begin the world over again."  And the opportunity to take this path is rapidly closing.