The Price of Liberty

“Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty.” Patrick Henry

Thomas Jefferson penned what each American should memorize: the Preamble to The Declaration of Independence. He was 33 years old. Part of those famous words that undergirded the Constitution of the United States was:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness.”

Each of these rights is subjective concepts, especially Liberty. Every person has their own idea of liberty. What’s mine? Yours? Without liberty, Life would be in jeopardy every hour, consisting of uncertainty, of chaos and hanging by a slender thread. The Pursuit of Happiness--the fruit of Liberty--would be defined by others…kings, tyrants, dictators, juntas, religious nutcases, thugs or outright Anarchists.

But this nation was founded by men with a higher vision, fearless, valiant in the face of death and unwilling to bear the chains of domination and economic slavery to the King of England. These men did not indulge themselves in the delusive phantom of hope of peace. They knew that revolutions for liberty succeeded not by great oratorical words of ideology, but by the shedding of blood. Brave men, these, willing to give their last full measure of devotion for Liberty. They are our fathers, the progenitors of this nation.

Such a man of Liberty, our friend, is among us today. His name is Colonel George Stapleton, US Army (Ret.). I sleep better knowing that men like Col. Stapleton are awake and keeping our shores from barbaric hordes.

On this shore in Neptune Park, situated on the St. Simons Sound, our huddled masses sat in the twilight of Veterans Memorial Day, May 31, 2010. It was an acclamation of liberty and a remembrance of its cost. A southerly wind, the spirit-voice of ancestral warriors, wafted through the commingled crowd. We were there to commemorate and honor veterans of conflicts past and present.

A lone flagpole loomed large in the park rotunda. Our national flag, the symbol of Liberty, flew proudly, beckoning us to acknowledge our collective heritage. Even John Phillip Sousa was there, at least ipso facto, lending his music to the Golden Isles Community Band.

A Marine Color Guard presented the colors, followed by Col. Stapleton, who placed a floral wreath in honor of the occasion. The pomp of it was humbling, as veterans from each branch of military service were recognized and applauded for their bravery and commitment to the cause of Liberty. It felt good knowing men and women of this ilk “had our backs.”

How can we put flesh on this abstraction of Liberty? The national icon is, of course, our flag. It’s not just a symbol of sentiment, nor simply an emblem of our commitment to Liberty. It’s more. It’s the embodiment of Liberty itself. When we look upon it, all of our history flashes before us. And what a history we have. From July 4, 1776 until today, it represents our continual pledge of Liberty, and our higher vision of freedom to all mankind. Salute this flag with pride!

Patrick Henry spoke these inspiring words on March 23, 1774 to the Virginia delegates to the First Continental Congress:

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”

My fellow Americans, Liberty’s neither cheap nor achieved once and for all time. It’s generational, a struggle without cessation. It’s only by our personal and collective commitment to eternal vigilance that can keep its flame alive. This is what Liberty is all about. This is the real cost of Liberty.

Sing with me now these words:

“Oh, say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Yes, Liberty is a profound abstraction. How do you define it? And what price will you pay for it?

Bud Hearn
July 2, 2010