A Leaf, A Tree, A Constitution, Our Freedom

I mowed the lawn today. This is not a remarkable summer chore. Homeowners throughout Barnegat do it every day. This time I noticed something that I see daily but pay little attention: A single leaf lying upon the ground.

I picked up the leaf and looked at it. I wondered, what tree did it come from? When was it separated from the tree?  

I then looked to the trees. The trees full with leaves. The many leaves attached to many branches working in unison feeding the much larger tree. I could not help but see the contrast. The insignificance of the single leaf dying in my hand next to to the majesty of the leaves working together feeding healthy trees.

I do not know why but the parallel of the individual citizen to the body politic came to mind. We, as individual citizens, see ourselves and our vote as meaningless. When we work as part of a group, joining people with similar values and opinions, we are like the leaves feeding the tree. Our involvement alone may do little, but in conjunction with fellow like minded citizens we may move a country.

I see the country at a crossroads. The foundation of our country (the trunk of the tree), our constitution, is being destroyed from within. The enemies of the constitution change it without proper justification (the amendment process) through the edict of an unelected judiciary twisting the meaning of words to come to a predetermined conclusion.

The enemies of freedom must destroy the foundation of freedom if they are to succeed. Just as the individual leaf is nothing when detached from the tree so is an individual citizen detached from the constitution. The tree may be destroyed by separating the leaves from the tree. Our freedoms, and our country built on a foundation of a free people, guaranteed by the constitution may die the same way.  

We are told that the constitution is outdated. The need for individual freedom is an outdated notion. Collective rights (whatever that is) not individual rights, are important. Separating the people from the constitution will kill our freedom just as the separation of the leaves from the tree will kill the tree. The opponents of freedom do not see themselves this way. They see themselves as providing a collective good for a class of people. The founders saw the individual as the most important political entity. A class of people is nothing but a group of individuals. Once a person is seen as a member of a class, not as an individual, the concept of individual rights is destroyed.  

We have a choice. We my remain bound together throughthe tree of our constitution or allow ourselves  to be separated from the tree (our constitutional republic). Once we, as individuals, are separated from the constitution our political lives, will wither and die just as the leaf separated from the tree withers and dies. I choose freedom and the constitution. What is your choice?