French-American Relationships

I have been to France. While the French hate Americans to their face, it is based on their jealously of every Americans' Sovereignty, going back generations to the start of these United States. But, there are mummers beginning in France. The generous French are starting to think that what they so admired about the United Sovereign States of America will soon be at an end. If the Americans no longer desire to use their Liberty, the French are thinking they should take back their gift. Their gift of admiration, which explains the hate they show Americans in France. They are beginning to think that since the Americans no longer care to use their Liberty, that the very symbol of Liberty should be returned to France, until the Americans decide to embrace Liberty again.

This is beginning to make the City Council of New York City nervous. What would they do without their greatest tourist attraction. Americans visit the Statute because they think of the Statute of Liberty, like a vast bank vault, holding their Liberty until Americans decide to withdraw and again use their Liberty. Seeing the Statute gives Americans the illusion that they still have their Liberty.

If you ask Americans what Liberty is, Americans would reply:

1. Liberty is good

2. Liberty is something they will always have no matter what, and

3. Liberty is something that, no matter how hard they try, they can not define.

American government schools tell moldable children that Liberty is a statute or a bell. Then, Republicans talk about Freedom and Democrats talk about Rights. But isn't Liberty about Freedom and Rights?

According to Republicans, Freedom is the ability of citizens to do what ever Republicans allow. Rights to Democrats is the ability of one group to take from another group. One person's Rights can violate the Rights of another person.

What is Liberty. A current Supreme Court Justice says, “Liberty is the exercise of Freedom that does not violate the Rights of others.” That is certainly not what the Democrats, Republicans, or our Central Government are telling us. But that definition sounds cheap. It would look like a Statute of Liberty with only the structural frame leaving the beauty of Liberty to our imagination. In life isn't Liberty more than just avoiding harming others?

For some reason, our government schools are leaving something out. To believe in Liberty, you have to accept and act on the Duties of Liberty. The Duties come in three main parts.

Action to defend others is required when citizens who believe in Liberty sees the Rights of others violated.

A believer in Liberty accepts the need to defend their Rights plus the Rights of their family, neighbors, city and country, and

Finally, Liberty requires all citizens to take citizenship seriously. This may involve hours every week from all Americans to make sure that our government only defends our Liberty without encroaching on our Freedom and Rights.

Freedom and Rights do not come from government, but are innate within us. If we do not use our Freedom or Rights and through our inaction let government encroach on them, it is then that we forget what Liberty is.

To save the French the expense of moving the Statute back to France, we should admit that we as Americans are losers and give the French back the greatest gift any country has ever given to a collection of sovereign states, Liberty.

Maybe, Americans will learn that 500 cable TV channels is not the pursuit of happiness. That living requires overcoming opposition, making us the greater for it. France, maybe some day, Americans will make you jealous again. Then we will have re-earned the breathtaking treasure that you gave us once.