Homemakers For America - Those Who Deny Freedom

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breath free." So reads the inscription on the statue of liberty. And so they came. They came from Europe. They came from Asia. They came from Africa and every Island, country and continent in hopes of a better life. And what they received was the greatest gift the world had ever known- Freedom.

Our Founding Fathers left us a great legacy. Nations still marvel at it. Countries envy it and people from around the world seek after it. Men, women and children have made pilgrimages, sold all they had and even swam through shark infested waters to capture a glimpse of what we possess. And yet, those of us who enjoy it don't even realize what we have.

What did our founders fight for? What was it that men, women and children sacrificed so much for? John Adams tells us the American Revolution didn't begin with the war. He states the "radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution." The war was the final outcome. They were willing to sacrificing anything, even their very lives to gain the freedom they envisioned as a reality. "Where liberty dwells," stated Benjamin Franklin, "there is my country."

I'm not sure Mr. Franklin and our Founders would recognize the great work they left us in our nation today. We have given up so many freedoms, mostly out of ignorance. Many of us don't know what is contained in that great document the Framers left us. When someone tells us something is in the constitution, we just take it for granted. But does that make us good stewards of such an important gift?

Freedom isn't something that just is. It is something we must recognize and hold on to. Ronald Reagan stated it best, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

To protect our freedom, we must first know what it is we are protecting. It is our duty to study our nation's history and know and understand our Freedom Documents. It is imperative that we appreciate our heritage. Benjamin Franklin stated, "A nation of well informed men (and women) who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins." Let us no longer be ignorant. Let us no longer take our freedoms for granted. And let us, as John Adams admonished, educate and instruct our children in the principles of freedom.

Homemakers for America Inc. Inc. would like to encourage women throughout our nation to take the time to read and understand our freedom documents; study our nation's history and seek out the truth. Just because it is in a text book or you see it on TV doesn't make it true. So much sacrifice was made on our behalf. So much blood was shed to provide us with the gifts we take for granted today. It is time we take our place in the fight for freedom. As Ronald Reagan stated, "To sit back hoping that someday, someway, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last--but eat you he will. "One of the great founders of our Nation, Thomas Paine has admonished us, "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it."

Imagine the affect one person can have. If we do not get involved, if we do not teach our children, if we do not speak out, we will loose our freedom. Pastor Martin Niemoller wrote a poem during WWII that clearly describes what can happen when we, as citizens, are silent.

We can no longer sit back and watch our country crumble around us. It is time to be informed. It is time to join the fight. For as John Adams warned us, "a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever. " James Madison further warned, "There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

We must pay attention and we must stay informed. It is our duty as citizens. With rights come responsibilities and to keep our freedom we must accept our charge. Homemakers for America Inc. Inc. will make every effort to research issues, candidates and news items that affect our freedom and share the information with our members. For we strongly concur with James Madison, "A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."