What Ever Happened To “Liberty”?
By: Tyler Huff
“Give me liberty or give me death.” — Patrick Henry
That is the famed quote from Patrick Henry when he was addressing the Second Virginia Convention in 1775. Although the quote has become a type of American icon in its own sense, it was intended to persuade the Convention to pass a resolution that would send Virginian troops to fight in the Revolutionary War. Throughout the more than two centuries since, it has been repeated time and time again by aspiring politicians, protestors, and average citizens to exemplify the fighting spirit of the American.
‘Liberty’ is the term we used to describe the freedom that our people sought from an oppressive Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence reads as follows:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Liberty has always been apart of America, but in recent years it seems to have been under attack by a growing sentiment of socialist values. Those who seek to destroy America as we know it always start at the same place, removing our liberty.
One of the liberties (freedoms) they always attack first is our First Amendment right to free speech. We all learned about, and probably had to memorize, the Bill Of Rights in high school, or even middle school.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The First Amendment, arguably the most important amendment, protects our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom of press, and our right to peacefully protest.
These days, it seems that some people tend to believe that it protects our freedom from, not of these rights.
They, (usually very far-left leaning people), want to say that if a student invokes the Lord’s name in a prayer at school, then they’re violating others’ First Amendment right, but if someone invokes the name of “Allah”, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If a Caucasian person wears a costume of Pocahontas; well that’s “Cultural Appropriation”. However; if a Native American were to dress up as Snow White, (also a Disney character), then they’re just ”expressing themselves”.
I believe the true enemy of liberty is offended people. It seems that nearly everything offends somebody. You may remember that a few years ago, a boy in a Maryland elementary school was suspended because his Poptart was in the shape of a gun. What are we doing in America? We can’t even focus on real issues because of nonsense like that. How about the fact that the news media has, for over a year, given a ridiculous amount of time to NFL players kneeling because they’re “triggered”. That’s what it feels like everyone focuses in on now: “How do I make my point without ‘triggering’ someone?”
- People who are “triggered” are generally people who aren’t really all that confident in their own opinions. They need you to believe the same way they do to validate themselves.
- True liberty is the ability for everyone to have their own opinions without having to worry about upsetting someone else. No one tells this truth better than some modern Conservative speakers, which is where I’m going from here.
Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk is a 24 year old Conservative activist and he is also the founder of Turning Point USA.
Turning Point USA, referred to as TPUSA from henceforth, is an organization of college-aged people that spreads the Conservative message throughout colleges and universities in the United States. Their trademark slogan “Big Government Sucks” has become widely known by many because of a very strong grassroots effort spearheaded by Kirk himself. I actually remember receiving a Facebook message several years ago directly from Charlie. It was around the time of the 2012 election and TPUSA was just getting off the ground. I recall that he asked me personally if I would join, because I seemed like the type of person they’re looking for: a young, Conservative American that despises big government and its policies. I could tell immediately that this organization would become something big in the not-so-distant future. I never knew how right I could’ve been!
TPUSA has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, particularly during the 2016 Presidential election season. There are dozens of TPUSA chapters across the United States. Most of them are on college campuses. Their reasoning for this is because during the time that young adults are at college, one of the often-denied, yet painfully obvious goals of many universities is to indoctrinate young people to think their way, the Liberal way. Turning Point USA rejects this ideology and helps to teach people what big government really is and what it really does.
Of course, like most Conservative organizations today, TPUSA has endured copious amounts of hate and vitriol from the Left. you’ll see an example of such hatred in this article from The Daily Wire. As you can see, the American Left is full of people who are all for Free Speech… unless your opinion differs from their’s.
Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro is 33, so a little older and more experienced than Charlie. Ben Shapiro is easily one of the most intelligent political commentators I’ve ever seen and/or listened to. Ben is the editor-in-chief and founder of The Daily Wire. He also frequently comments on national news networks and to top it off, hosts one of the most successful Conservative podcasts.
He is not just politically smart though; he is very intelligent. Having skipped two grades, graduated from high school at age 16, attended UCLA, Harvard University, and wrote two books by age 21, I would say that it would be tough for someone to question whether or not he is qualified to talk politics.
Like most Conservative speakers, he has faced backlash and complete intolerance from the Left. Ben Shapiro has been called many things including “a Nazi”, which is rather funny considering that he is a devout Jew. He frequently makes references on his podcast, (The Ben Shapiro Show), to that fact and how humorous it is that Liberals who claim to be the most tolerant are always the ones calling others “Nazis”.
I could go on all day about Ben Shapiro and the respect that I have for him, but I’ve got one more person I want to talk about.
Steven Crowder
Steven Crowder, at 30 years old, finds himself in between Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro. Crowder is often known as a bit of a “Conservative firebrand”. He is easily the most expressive of the three, but that’s what makes me like him so much. Steven is well-known for his somewhat aggressive demeanor and YouTube videos.
Steven Crowder is the founder of LouderwithCrowder.com. It’s not that Crowder is unorthodox, per se. He’s just very intense about showing you an issue for what it really is. In a recent video entitled “UNDERCOVER IN ANTIFA: Their Tactics and Media”, Steven’s producer, “Not Gay Jared” goes undercover and joins Antifa. The goal of this ‘experiment’ was to show the world what Antifa actually is and actually does. In the video, you can see a trans person who tells Jared about the weapons they own and will be bringing to an upcoming protest. Nearer to the end of the video they hand him an ice pick as a weapon. He, obviously, immediately goes and informs the local police of what is going on.
Steven Crowder easily gets me more “pepped up” than the other two that I’ve mentioned. However; they all play a crucial role in the future of the Conservative movement. Steven has been compared to popular conspiracy theorist Alex Jones before, but I’ve never got that vibe from him.
How can we save our Liberty?
If we want liberty to survive, we must defeat those who wish to destroy the liberties and freedoms that this country was founded upon. The groups that want to destroy liberty are none other than Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and the like. They claim to be in favor of more freedom and less intolerance, but in fact they tend to accomplish just the opposite. These groups go into cities and cause nothing but havoc. They loot and destroy stores that are often owned by members of their own community. They block roads and then complain when drivers get tired of their crap. They expect us to just sit there and take it, because you’ve got to remember: “If you’re white, you’re priveleged, or even inherently racist”. I propose that we recognize them for what they are: domestic terrorists, hate groups, and above all, the real racists. We cannot and should not allow these hateful people to take over the US with their extremist Liberal intolerance.
I believe that people like Charlie Kirk, Ben Shapiro, and Steven Crowder want to truly accomplish this goal. They strive to show people that the liberal way is not the only way.
I hope you’ll join me in fully supporting these people in advancing the future of the Conservative Movement.
