This Fourth of July let’s all remember that we are one nation under God indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Let’s remember that we don’t memorialize Thomas Jefferson as a slaveholder we memorialize him as author of our declaration of Independence and as a symbol as our declaration as a free people. He wrote these words “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 the pursuit of Happiness.” Yes, at that time not all were included under this umbrella but in time the framework Jefferson and other founders set up gave that freedom to all of us. Freedom that allows us to speak our minds. Freedom that allows people to protest peacefully.
Many men and women who did incredible things to advance freedom (led wars against tyranny, led movements to advance freedom) had stains, none were perfect but they managed in their imperfection to lead the world to a better place and that is why we honor them.
Tearing down and destroying memorials desecrates our basic beliefs and endangers us a a freedom-loving civilization. We may not be a perfect union but we’re the best the world has ever experienced. Let’s not let anyone destroy that.
..T Murtha
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