Tag: freedom

Celebrating America with Gratitude

Elizabeth Banak

I’ve been quiet on social media over the past year as my family and I focused on being there for my dad during the most difficult chapter of his life. His fight has ended, and losing him has left an ache I can’t fully put into words. But in the midst of that loss, my gratitude—for life, for freedom, for this country—has only grown deeper.

Every year on the Fourth of July, I feel a profound sense of gratitude for the privilege of calling myself an American. So many fought and sacrificed everything so that we could live in liberty, and with that privilege comes a responsibility: to ensure that freedom endures for my children, and for generations to come.

It’s the reason I write about Independence Day every year. Because in whatever way we can—through our words, our work, our example—we all share a duty to uphold the blessings of liberty. And today especially, I’m reminded of how much my dad loved this country, not for its politicians, but for opportunity it provided for him and his family to live the American dream. Honoring that love feels like the least I can do.

This day is not just about fireworks or flags. It’s about remembering those who dared to dream of something better, who risked everything to sign a declaration that defied the world’s greatest empire. They knew freedom didn’t come from a king. With firm reliance on divine Providence, they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of liberty, self-reliance, and limited government. America’s founding wasn’t perfect, but the principles laid out in July of 1776 made greatness possible.

The continued price of our freedom is eternal vigilance. Let not history remember our generation as the one that let it slip away. Today we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence for providing those first principles that still matter today. Those are the ideas – liberty, self-reliance, unalienable rights, sacred honor- that make the 4th of July worth celebrating “with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.” 

So today, I celebrate. I remember. And I recommit myself to the values that built this country and to the people, like my father, who never stopped believing in them.

Happy Independence Day!

#IndependenceDay #Gratitude #Honor #InMemory #FourthOfJuly #Freedom

Reaping the Blessings of Freedom

Elizabeth Banak

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” Thomas Paine

Every year, I sit down to write my 4th of July post and I think to myself, what I can write about that I haven’t already said in years past. Then I realize that a lot of the most important things we hold dear need to be articulated over and over again before they become part of who we are. This is especially true at a time when I see this country that I love on a slippery slope to tearing itself apart. Maybe it’s the cynic in me at war with the idealist, but I can’t help but fear that we are one match away from lighting the proverbial tinder box on fire. But as this cold war of ideas rages on, I’m never more hopeful than on Independence Day that we will do right by ourselves and by each other long enough to remember that whatever our differences, we are all Americans who value freedom above all else. The freedom to live, the freedom to worship, the freedom to speak, the freedom to think, and yes, the freedom to disagree.  

But 4th of July is not a day to air our grievances or elevate that which seeks to divide us. It’s a day to honor our great country and to remember those who came before us so that we may revel in the brightness of liberty until the end of days. Those brave men, who risked absolutely everything they had to sign their names to a document that marked them as traitors to the world’s greatest power, only did so because to do otherwise would have been a continued anathema to the freedom they knew in their hearts did not come from a king, but from God and from their own humanity. With a firm reliance on divine Providence, they pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the cause of self-reliance, limited government, and liberty. There are those that will argue that the flaw in America’s founding lay in the fact that it did not guarantee that freedom for all its people. While that’s certainly a fair point, and one that this country paid for in blood, it truly makes what happened in July 1776 all the more meaningful today. The Declaration didn’t make America perfect. But it made her greatness possible. It codified the proper relationship between man and government, laying the foundation for unprecedented freedom, even if it took too long to realize it for every citizen. Those first principles made the rest possible. America started as one crazy idea, relying on the Declaration as the first promise of a better future. But even more relevant to us is the fact that the Founders relied on the hope that those who came after would build on that freedom with each generation, entrenching the value of liberty so deeply into our national identity that it would eventually be realized for all in full measure. The continued price of that freedom is eternal vigilance, as “freedom is only ever one generation away from extinction.” Let not history remember our generation as the one that let it slip away. Today we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence for providing those first principles that still matter today. Those are the ideas – liberty, unalienable rights, sacred honor- that make the 4th of July worth celebrating “with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.” 

The one about Cancel Culture

Elizabeth Banak

“Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.” John Milton

There are those who will tell you cancel culture isn’t real. That it’s a boogeyman made up by bad actors to try to ‘crybaby’ their way out of consequences. I’m sure there is a small part of that that is accurate. But if you’ve been paying attention the past few years, you know that’s not truly what’s happening. Public shaming has become the new American way brought to you by some of the same people who would look you straight in the face and swear up and down that they are part of the ‘no judgment’ crowd. Anyone out there celebrating when someone loses their job, has their life turned upside down, or gets dragged through the perpetual outrage culture of social media is part of the problem.

I’m not sure what problem we are solving when expressing the “wrong” opinion, making a mistake as a younger person, or simply advocating for your own choices makes you unfit for polite society. Aside from the obvious creeps, degenerates, and criminals who deserve their fate, the vast majority of the people being cancelled are no such thing. Cultural “book burning” can’t be the answer to the problem of the perpetually offended. Before you go and start celebrating another person you don’t agree with getting his or hers, I hope the life you’ve lived is perfect because when there aren’t any of those people left to ban, cancel or rake across the coals of cultural purgatory, or willing to stand up for fear of losing their jobs or livelihoods, there won’t be anyone to stand up for you when your time comes. And it will come. It always does and all you have to do is read history to know it. The ones leading the charge of the cultural purge are not friends to any American who values the spirit of free speech. Grace, understanding, forgiveness, kindness, and patriotism are all going out the window to keep this country divided and stifle differing opinions because we are all stuck in “gotcha” land. And the worst part is, we didn’t even need the hand of government to help stamp out freedom of speech. We are doing this all to ourselves with the clear goal of making people too afraid to speak out for fear of the consequences, not from government, but from our fellow citizens.

There are those that will argue that if you choose to live life in the public sphere or on social media then you assume the risks of that decision and that no one is immune from consequences of exercising free speech. That’s certainly fair. But the line we have drawn now says that anything that offends another person isn’t allowed. Anything that makes people uncomfortable must be silenced. Anything that questions the approved narrative is best not heard. Is that really the world we want to live in? Because it’s surely where we are headed.

We’ve handed over the reigns of cultural power to some pretty misguided people at best and truly awful people at worst. And they won’t stop. Not until they tear the country apart by its very foundation, some by natural consequences of their ignorance or indifference and others by the design of their malice and intent. And maybe you think that’s an overreaction and, if so, you’re free to ignore it. But do so at least with your eyes open. These people are no friends of freedom. 

The one with the unpopular opinion

Elizabeth Banak

I know this won’t be a popular opinion in some circles, but here it is on the covid shot. Get it or don’t, your choice. People who are or have gotten it aren’t mindless sheep bent on submitting to the will of the government because they just love tyranny. They are making the best choice for themselves based on their lives and what may be happening in it. People who choose not to or can’t get it are not selfish, science deniers who care nothing about others because they won’t be told what to do by ‘the man.’ They too are making the best decision for themselves based on their lives and what might be happening in it. Maybe you think either one of those people is wrong. Oh well. Not your life, not your choice. None of us have any idea what someone else may be going through in life that may influence their decision. We can speculate about motives and project our opinion onto those who walk a different path, but it won’t change the fact that they are free to walk that path and to do so with or without anyone else’s approval. If you’ve gotten the shot, great! That doesn’t make you a mindless sheep. If you haven’t gotten it, I assume you know better for yourself than I do for you and it’s not my damn business. That doesn’t make you an uneducated moron. We will always and forever be making different decisions from one another, and if that comes with a cost then I guess we just have to count that bill as the expense of a free society.

The point of this rantish post is simply this: the way to get others to see your point or your side isn’t through shaming them, yelling at them, calling them sheep, calling them selfish, or pretty much most of what I see on the news or social media and from both sides of the proverbial aisle. If you believe in the righteousness of your decisions then lead by example with kindness, compassion, and an open-mind. Or, just mind your own business. The mantra for a while was “we are all in this together.” But the reality is, we aren’t and the reason for that is because there are too many forces using what’s happening to bludgeon us into our little camps of for or against, just like always inevitably happens when the powers that be weaponize a tragedy for political gain. They win, we lose. Every. Single. Time. They aren’t the ones who have to continue to break bread with neighbors, or coworkers, or family members with different views. What do they care if they help rip those ties that bind us together if it means one more tally in their column? Sorry, I am not willing to play. 

And I know in many circles this is a truly unpopular opinion. But it’s the only one to have if you ever want to heal the country when this is all over. Otherwise, this may just be the thing that finally breaks us.

The one about 9/11

Elizabeth Banak

The world is weird, our country is in a very precarious place, and with absolutely everything being political and divisive, reflecting on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 is almost refreshing. Despite the horror of that day, 9/11 represents the best of what it means to be an American. It was a day that we rose to meet the challenges we faced together, as one nation in shared grief and the hope of a better tomorrow. We donated blood by the pint, we held hands with strangers in church, we volunteered in clean up efforts, we donated money, we lent a shoulder to cry on, and we remembered that in spite of our differences, we were a country united. And for a while, no one cared about who you voted for in the last election, or whether or not you were vaccinated, or if you lived in a red or a blue state. I know the unity didn’t last forever because the media and politicians can hardly make money on unity, but I will always remember 9/11 and those days that followed as a time I was incredibly proud of my country. To me, it’s a stark reminder of the need for a little perspective for what we’ve been through and a little gratitude for how we came through it. It seems crazy now to believe we could ever be that united again, especially with so many out there with a vested interest in keeping us divided. The division I see now in the country, exacerbated by politicians, the media, and sadly by us on social media reflect a country divided by fear, politics, and desire to tear down rather than build up. A desire to trade freedom for a false sense of safety. A desire to cast off fellow Americans for having differing opinions. A desire to reduce those with whom we disagree to dumb, selfish, racist, socialist, or just plain evil. A desire to trash America for past faults without realizing America has been the greatest beacon of hope and freedom the world has ever known. A desire to signal virtue without actually affecting any real change. So now I look at the commemoration of 9/11 as a beacon of hope that all can be made right again if we can just remember that we are Americans first, not Republican or Democrats, not vaccinated or unvaccinated, not red or blue states. Perhaps it’s a naive hope, but the alternative is to give in and give up. We are going through many tragic things as a nation now and we are very divided. But as 9/11 showed us, wonderful things can be born out of tragedy, but only if we have the wisdom and perspective to harness what is good and the eternal gratitude that ensures we will remember it forever. If we can do that, those precious souls that died on 9/11 and our brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice after will not have given their lives in vain. God bless America now and always!

The one about 4th of July

Elizabeth Banak

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” –Thomas Paine

Happy Independence Day to all!! Let today be the day where we put everything that divides aside. Tune out the politicians, turn off the media, and put aside our differences and disagreements over things important and those not-so-much. 4th of July is not a day to air our grievances or elevate that which seeks to divide us. It’s a day to celebrate those who came before us so that we may revel in the brightness of liberty until the end of days. Those brave men, who risked absolutely everything they had to sign their names to a document that marked them as traitors, did so not just because they were mad over taxes and representation. They did so because to do otherwise would have been a continued anathema to the freedom they knew in their hearts did not come from a king, but from God… from their own humanity. With a firm reliance on divine Providence, they pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the cause of self-reliance, limited government, and liberty. The Declaration certainly didn’t make America perfect. But it was one hell of a remarkable first shot across the bow. It codified the proper relationship between man and government, laying the foundation for unprecedented freedom, even if it took too long to realize it for every citizen. Those first principles made the rest possible. The odds the Founders overcame teach us as a nation that no set of problems is too much. No division is too strong. Much like today, the men who signed the Declaration had many stark differences, competing interests, and outright disagreements. But they were able to see past all that to stand firmly together in the knowledge that without liberty, none of those differences mattered. They realized that the Declaration was the first promise of a better future. They relied on the hope that those who came after would build on that freedom with each generation, entrenching the value of liberty so deeply into our national identity that it would eventually be realized in full measure. Our uniquely American story started 245 years ago, but it’s not finished being told. It’s up to us to continue to build upon the liberty the Founders codified and laid out so plainly to sign with such conviction. Today, we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence for providing those first principles that still matter today. Those are the ideas – liberty, unalienable rights, sacred honor- that still have the power to bring us all together today. God Bless America!!

“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” –Benjamin Franklin