Thought about putting on my blogs some cool patriotic visuals to celebrate the 239th anniversary of the greatest country in the world that has provided more political, economic, and religious freedom to more people than any country anywhere anytime. There are lots of nice looking things available on the ‘net.
Also thought about pulling up some photos of flags I’ve taken over the years and creating a visual celebration.
I decided to do something completely different.
Of the large number of freedoms that we humans have because we exist, which are also recognized by the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, I particularly cherish freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
So yesterday (which was the federal holiday), today (the actual anniversary), and tomorrow I exercise those freedoms.
(Cross-post from my other blog, Outrun Change.)
Freedom of speech
I wrote a post yesterday following up on a corrupt law enforcement official who stole money while he was conducting an investigation.
What I saw in that incident is he was lawfully investigated, duly charged, confronted with the evidence against him, consulted extensively with his informed legal counsel, entered a guilty plea in front of a duly appointed independent impartial judge, and now awaits sentencing from said Congressionally confirmed federal judge.
He may be a crook and deserves a huge amount of time in prison for betraying his trust, yet he received full protection of his constitutional rights in an orderly, well-defined legal system which was quite careful to respect his rights.
Freedom of speech and freedom of religion
Today I wrote about a program conducted in a Williston church that housed people looking for work and housing in the area during the huge oil boom in the area. A filmmaker produced a documentary about the faith-based program. He was in the right place at the right time to catch on camera the rather spectacular implosion of the program.
In my post I discuss what leaders in local churches can learn from that fiasco. My post is a combination of two freedoms. I exercise my free speech about the economic development in the state due to fracking of shale oil and commenting on a documentary. I also exercise my freedom of religion by interpreting what happened in that church through the filter of my faith and to develop lessons for carrying out ministry in local churches.
This post will be followed by two more which draw out spiritual and biblical lessons that people of faith can learn from this church’s experiences.
Freedom of speech
My third post of the holiday weekend describes the outrageously expensive electricity that will be generated by an offshore wind farm. I exercise my freedom of speech in deriding the program as expensive and wasteful. It will cost residential users in Rhode Island a lot of money during each of the next 20 years.
I also exercise my freedom of speech by claiming that a wind turbine can be described as a slicer-dicer-decompressor. Where does that phrase come from? My (constitutionally protected) opinion.
The indisputable fact is that wind turbines kill eagles, migratory and sundry other birds by blunt force trauma or cutting them into pieces. It is my opinion that warrants the slice and dice description. They kill bats by the low-pressure field behind the turbines which rapidly expands the air in the lung of any bat flying near the turbine thus causing mortal wounds. Thus the decompressor label.
It is my constitutionally protected right to explain what I perceive as the economic and environmental devastation caused by this technology.
Freedom of religion
Tomorrow I will worship in a church of my choice, which preaches and teaches as we believe is proper. I will assist in the conducting the worship service by helping with distribution of communion. We proclaim holy communion in the way we believe the Bible teaches. I will lead an adult bible study class and explain the bible as we believe it should be explained.
I am grateful for our freedoms
Whether our founding fathers would agree with my posts or not is totally, absolutely, completely irrelevant. I care not one bit whether they would or would not agree with the teachings of my church.
I firmly believe they would be thrilled that I celebrate our independence by exercising my freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
0 Comments