The Spirit of Liberty (Part 1)

No one dared to stand against Spain. Spain had better ships, better navigators, and a directive from the Pope to suppress the Protestants. In 1588, believing that they were "on a mission from God", Spain set out to invade England. They brought out their biggest galleons to hold their largest armies with a plan to ferry more armies across the Channel from the Spanish Netherlands. Then England quietly changed the rules of naval combat. Their smaller and more maneuverable ships harried the Spanish navy around the entirety of the British island finally sending the Spanish bully home with its tail between its legs.

No one dared to stand against England. British armies were bigger, better trained, and well funded. The "divine right of kings" meant that whatever the British king wanted, he took because it was the "will of God on earth". It was said that the Crown's policy was "make the world England", and no one with any sense stood against them. Then the American colonists quietly changed the rules of land warfare. Adapting the guerilla techniques originally used against them by American natives, the colonists finally sent the British bully home with its tail between its legs.

Personally, in both of these scenarios, I call the courageous and unwavering commitment to freedom the "Spirit of Liberty".

"Pounding in your temples and a surge of adrenaline, every muscle tense to fence the enemy within."

After defeating the British, the newly freed Americans built a structure, the United States Constitution, that had one overarching purpose: protect the Spirit of Liberty from any return of government tyranny. Unfortunately, just as it had after England's defeat of Spain, American Liberty quietly drifted off to sleep, probably believing that what she had given them was in good hands. But now, the alarm clock has been ringing since the 1960s and the snooze button, having been smashed too many times, is broken. The slap-in-the-face wake-up call of January 2021 is bringing Liberty's waking clarity into sharper focus, and she is NOT happy.

The American public is starting to pay attention to the manure that the Old Party autocrats have been shoveling for decades, and while we may not all agree on which direction we SHOULD head, we are all starting to realize that we don't want to go where the autocrats have led us. As the saying goes, "you can lead a horse to water..."

"I'm not giving in to security under pressure. I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure."

Titles Convey Meaning

We all know this, but some of us overlook it. If the "Democrats" believe in democracy - the idea that supreme political power is held by the collective will of the people - and "Republicans" believe in the republic - the idea that supreme political power is held by the people and their elected representatives - then "Libertarians" believe in liberty - the idea that there is no supreme political power, and that we each have the power and resources to create (or re-create) an environment that overcomes the inequalities that divide us. It's not pretty or glamorous. It's not regimented, nor is it well organized (as many within the Party will attest), but it's a clean and empty space where each of us can craft our own destiny.

"[Is it] revolution or just resistance? Is it living or just existence? Yeah, you! It takes a little more persistence to get up and go the distance."

I won't lie to you; Liberty is also a scary and uncomfortable place, and those who have been inured in fear will probably never truly be able to accept it. As one writer stated over half a century ago, "fear is the mind-killer", and I see that sentiment currently playing out all over our great country on daily new feeds and through social media outlets. The political "defenders of the so-called 'faith'" play on the fears of the public in an attempt to keep liberty at bay, but if you have a sense of adventure and are willing to challenge the accepted norms, we invite you to look at what true Liberty has to offer. We don't make promises that your life will be easier; we only promise that your life will be worth the effort you take, and we want to make that available to you.

You have it within yourself to choose; choose to be better.