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Carl Altomare lives in Machiasport.
The beacon of freedom lit by the convening Continental Congress in Philadelphia on the auspicious date of July 4, 1776, shines brightly from the hearts of those who desire to be truly free, and therefore can never be extinguished. That beacon was transformed into a declaration of independence, not just to shine the way for the unyielding colonists to escape tyranny and form a new republic to become these United States of America, but to beam forward and illuminate the future that was to set a template for all of humanity.
The odds of victory were grim, the outcome uncertain, but little did they know the impact that day would have on both history and the human spirit of future Americans. If you stand still and listen, you can almost hear the brave men whose names appear as if branded in immortality on that foundational document of our nation. Here’s how I imagine that conversation:
“Though, God willing, we will soon need to undertake the dutiful and monumental act of writing our constitution to reflect a diverse and open society based on freedom-of-choice and an ability to practice that freedom willfully, without persecution, we must not however forget our human foundations from which we draw our strength. We are God-fearing men of grace and honor.”
“And upon this principle — freedom (i.e., freedom-of-choice) as an inalienable act of free will, to be won hard, with much suffering by the surviving men who cherish — and by the loss of so many of those who also cherish God, we will then continue on to forge ahead to build a nation, a nation also based upon grace and honor,” they may have said.
“The shepherd watches intently over His flock and we then should honor Him, as He will honor us — with victory. The glory then, be to God — not men. And if God Himself were here to reflect upon this moment, He might say; bring unto Me those who do not see the world as I meant it to be, and I will heal their sight, and set them free …”
We have reached another critical moment in our story, and a time that is just as important as the events around July 4, 1776. Where we go from here is no longer in the public hands, but in a brave few of our elected leaders who must now decide: Do we turn back the clock and return to tyranny, or do we stand fast and continue to march our nation and the future of humanity forward? Will empire-history continue to repeat itself, or are we different? Are we better?
The road to failure is well traveled, and by golly, a lot easier. However, the first 100 feet of a new road is the hardest. I simply ask: That together we can build a new road, and recapture — and reignite — the beacon called The United States of America. Thank you Sen. Susan Collins for choosing the latter.
