Markers along the Road

We depend on markers along the road, verification we’re on the right path toward our destination.  There was a picture of an old map which caught my attention this morning.  Something about maps is exciting, makes our imagination go to work.  Old maps may even act as portals to another time and transport us through history.

This past week we gave away our old sofa and love seat to make room for new ones.  Our cat, Pumpkin, came in from being in the rain and was scurrying through the den when it dawned on her, something was different; her markers along the way had been removed.

“Hey, humans; somebody walked off with my sofa and love seat!  You guys gonna’ make a police report or what?”  That’s a rough translation of her yowling while pointing to the obvious open spaces where the furniture had been.

The scene was repeated Tuesday when Pumpkin noticed the new sofa and love seat, “Hey, humans; they pulled a fast one, these aren’t ours.  Are you guys blind or just stupid?”  Pumpkin went off to sulk under the bed the rest of the day.

Markers in the road reassure us we’re headed in the right direction.  When I was in the back seat of my folk’s car on vacation, my dad driving at a reasonable speed, I can recall his line, “We’re lost; but we’re making good time”.   Checking to make sure the road signs matched with those on the map wasn’t one of my dad’s strong suits; that’s how we got to see Waco, Texas, only an hour out of our way and every one should see Waco at least once in their life. 

November is coming up soon, a chance to continue down the path we’re now on or, perhaps, alter that course with different leadership in Washington.  The markers would indicate a decided move toward socialism and totalitarianism; not exactly what our founders envisioned when they penned our road map, the Constitution. 

Individual liberties and rights protected by the Constitution are being removed a little at a time.  When my cat noticed the missing sofa and love seat the change was easily noticed and cause for alarm.  Whittling down individual liberties has been an on going process for many years; here a little, there a little until one day we awakened to find some of them nearly gone. 

The Supreme Court drove a wedge into the 1^st Amendment when they magically found words that weren’t included anywhere in the Constitution, something about separation of church and state which has been used to attack and remove anything associated with religion from the public square.  Our children can’t say a prayer at school or mention religion at sporting events without some ACLU lawyer filing a lawsuit.

I dare say, if Thomas Jefferson were to visit our time he’d wonder what happened to our markers along the way, those which lead us toward the kind of nation our Father in Heaven had in mind when His divine Spirit inspired these men to write the most superb documents in the history of mankind.  

Obama pushed for and got bipartisan support to destroy the 1^st Amendment’s protection of free speech, specifically the right to address grievances toward the government.

“The legislation, H.R. 347,  now allows Secret Service agents to decide where and when you have the right to speak freely. This legislation, supported by both parties, gives the Secret Service the ability to set up “NO FREE SPEECH ZONES”. In these zones, it would become a felony punishable by up to one year in jail to protest against the government.”

Why are there no Bibles used in teaching basic principles of conduct in each classroom and no moment of prayer set aside to acknowledge our Creator at the start of each day?  “Who stole these important markers?  What have you guys done with the protections built into the Constitution?” 

Dinesh D’Souza explained during a debate with Michael Shermer at Oregon University how a certain percentage of our population really does need help; but that over time that percentage has grown to include many who simply would rather let others do the work.

“About 10% of the population is getting pulled in the wagon. This percentage is increasing over time, and the people in the wagon are starting to think, “Hey, it’s nice back there in the wagon, why should I keep pulling?”’

There are no provisions in the Constitution for wealth redistribution and yet much of the nation’s budget is directed towards entitlements which are bankrupting us.  Entitlements are destroying the fabric of our society.   

Those pulling the wagon are being worn down by those in the wagon, those who could have been helping pull; but find it easier to let others do the work.  It wouldn’t be so bad if the ones in the wagon were helpless, too old or infirm; but able bodied individuals on the dole are demanding a free ride and president Obama points a finger of blame at those pulling the wagon for not doing enough rather than tossing the moochers out of the wagon.

My cat’s smart enough to notice something was drastically wrong when she saw the sofa and love seat were missing.  You can bet even the moochers in the wagon, those going along for the free ride know our nation can’t endure the way we’re headed.  It’s time to turn the wagon down a different path and establish those markers, markers intended to keep us on the right path. 

November 6^th would be a good time to begin the process of turning things around, getting us headed toward the path which recognizes individual liberty.  Constitutional markers provide a means of obtaining all other blessings; meaningful employment, a favorable economy, monetary stability and national security.  It’s time to speak up and be heard.

This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.