Pathway to Freedom

Constitutional choices versus restrains. Rights and Liberties are choices, being neither demands or restraints. A right is an individual choice, either to exercise or not. You have no right to make the same choice for another citizen. As "Constitution, Democracy, Freedoms, Rights, Liberties, Justice," and other similar cries are heard across the nation and around the world, perhaps it is time Americans, as Free people, re-evaluate our choices and convictions.. An estimated 35% of our nations’ population is now active in attempts to change our form of government! Lack of understanding of subject-matter tends to induce another 35% into these non-democratic actions! No better tool of assessment can be found than the Constitution of the United States! Of the Constitutions of "Free Nations" of the world, only the Constitution of The United States stands without political influence or affiliation. The U.S. Constitution provides more “Choices” and fewer restraints than any other. Choices out number the restraints of the Constitution, by far! Each are needed for self-governing, yet when imbalanced and abused, the same allows for loss of Democracy, failure of government, and destruction of individual rights and liberties! The Constitution provides an outline of two paramount agendas: 1.) provision of a governing body with limited powers; and 2.)That of a free people to self-govern through debate and compromise; or, use the same outline as a road map to self-destruction. Checks and balances of both restraints and choices are exemplified throughout the Constitution *The first found in the process of selecting officials. Without defining political, nationality, racial, or ethnic groups, The rule of "rule by majority" sets the means of defining majority and minority “voter groups.” The majority being simply the larger number of total voters. --The only racial separation was offset by the Fourteenth Amendment and various legislated actions addressing Native American Indians. We are taught by Constitution that "the majority" should rule. If we adhere to this compromise, we learn that at times it seems we are doing all the "giving" while others are "taking." Yet given time, we learn that our time of receiving arrives and the others are then on the "giving" end. --This choice is ours for the making. When we consider individual rights, we must recognize that among millions there is no such item as "individual rights unquestioned.” Our Constitutional dictate is that "no citizen" be denied rights "without due process." -- Through elected officials, special interest groups, and ourselves, we choose whether or not, and when and when not, to allow or disallow "due process." Again, we have a choice between dominance -- non-democratic actions -- or equal democracy based-compromise! The choice we have is to select honest, truthful officials who recognize and govern on the premise of "majority," or select and support those who support a specific "minority" agenda while disregarding the rights of the majority. Education, a subject addressed only minimally through legislated law, is a most profound choice! Mandated education to the minimum age of sixteen is a protective device, preventing citizens from entering adulthood totally amiss of basic skills of survival in the business world. -- Beyond the mandated education, we still have choices! We can either accept only the classroom, textbook, and test, then move through life stagnate in knowledge, or study outside the class room and expand knowledge to whatever limit we desire. One must recognize that knowledge and education are vastly different. Personal responsibility is nowhere addressed within the Constitution. Nor is it exemplified other than through responsibilities of elected officials. We have a choice to accept responsibility for our actions, or allow the government to dictate to us! Whether jobs, entitlements, or protection when we act illegally, when we delegate these responsibilities to the government, we are choosing some form of government other than a Republic based on Democratic principles! Lawmakers too, have choices within the restraints of the Constitution. Like the population, they can choose whether to govern as a Democratic Republic, or destroy Democracy through deceit and conversion of government! “We the People,” and lawmakers, still have choices today. If “we” do not make the proper choices soon, lawmakers will become totalitarian dominators! Unlike the private sector, lawmakers face as many restraints as choices. If you are of the conviction the Constitution promotes evil, and politicians promote good, you are a victim of heresy more than Constitutional knowledge! The Founding Fathers were of many mind-sets. A compromise of those mind-sets determined a manner that provides choices to either live in harmony and freedom, or self-destruct as a people and nation!