From four lines of the oft-quoted words of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet,
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
My interpretation of the question, in modern American English, would be this; Do we, as American Citizens, still desire to have a country that exists as founded? And not just exists, but is an example to all countries around the world where people desire to live free?
Or is the American Citizen in large part despondent, dejected, and utterly unmoored from our principles that have enabled our prolonged blessing as a nation? Do we see our nation in decline, and hence have decided to take to the life boats that the world may offer to disembark from the reality of the Titanic?
When faced with such bewildering decisions by the three branches of the federal government, it is easy to give up hope for the future.
For instance, why would our federal government not control spending, knowing that our children’s children will be paying for the amount we have spent today? And that the IOUs they have written to the Social Security trust fund will haunt the future of retirees if not addressed?
In the real world, if we do not have the ability to pay for something, eventually it will catch up with us. Every responsible person knows there is a limit to the debt they can incur, but yet our government does not seem to care.
We look at the executive branch, the one that is supposed to execute the laws that Congress has passed. And we see the lack of motivation to execute the laws as passed, not just from the current President, but from multiple Presidents. They would rather create their own supposed laws through executive action
And then there is the Supreme Court. Lifetime appointments, and no recourse to overturn bad decisions. Judges are not perfect, and if anything, the bubbles they live in as judges have clouded their minds about the true nature of the law.
And the nature of the law, as understood by our founders, was to protect law-abiding citizens from both lawbreakers and the oppression of government overreach.
So back to the initial question: To be, or not to be?
To Be would mean that we must exist, and our existence must have a purpose. That purpose as every American is to ensure liberty, prosperity, and the ability to exercise all manner of freedom in pursuing these goals. Whether in commercial business, education, or living out of our faith in a Supreme Being who cares about the affairs of mankind.
To Be cannot Be to sit back and point fingers, or watch the train wreck occurring before our eyes, without doing something, even if small, to help avoid the destruction ahead.
To Not to Be…well that is just to think that what happens will happen and that you will not be around to see it when it gets really bad.
I hate to break the news, but really bad things are happening to really good people around the world.
And these bad situations have happened many times to countries all over the world at various times in history.
So I joined the people of the Convention of States movement because we need a movement of the people in order to keep America from becoming another Republic on the trash heap of history.
If Washington does not want to control itself, then we need to step up and peacefully put them back in line with the original document they have sworn an oath to uphold.
And an Article V Convention of States is the first step to bring about a solution as big as the problem. This problem in large part is represented by the individuals on Capitol Hill who have long overstayed their Washington DC residency.
What I may do for Convention of States might have little to no impact on the grand scheme of things for this country. But to do nothing is just To Not to Be.
Be…an American Patriot. Join the Convention of States movement!
