Dear Editor, (submitted June 20, not published)
Theodore R. Johnson’s
“The Right way to celebrate” our nation’s July 4th “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 4th 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
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