March 15, 2002

In his, "Here's Why I'm a Republican," columnist Blaine Young stated, "Freedom is a luxury and shouldn't be taken for granted." The founders of our nation clearly believed that freedom was a God given right - not a luxury.

Jefferson wrote, "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. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness," in the Declaration of Independence.

Our nation was clearly founded on the notion that freedom is a God given Right. Throughout that history, millions have died for that ideal. Freedom is not a luxury: everyone is entitled to it.