By Senator Dennis Linthicum
June 22, 2024
I’m sure most of you have watched various Revolutionary or Civil War movies, like The Patriot (2001) or Glory (1989). In these stories, men march and drill and then simply line up and shoot each other.
I can’t imagine. I also can’t help but think, “This was a tragic waste of life.”
Then I find myself wondering, “was it?” Why did they do it? What did they believe? What was their motivation?
The Founding Fathers clearly understood that morality and liberty were bound together.
They put great stock in the necessity of personal virtues for freedom. Virtues like peace, patience, understanding, forbearance, and self-control were viewed as non-negotiable for remaining free from the chains of tyranny.
Edmund Burke defined it best, “Men are qualified for civil liberty, in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites. . . . Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without.”
Each generation must relearn the lessons of the past. Here in America, we must build on the example set by the Founders in order, “to keep fertile the soil of public virtue in which the seeds of freedom are sown anew in every age.”
The ever-insightful Thomas Jefferson utilized some parchment and forewarned us, “that the efforts of mankind to recover the freedom of which they have been so long deprived, will be accompanied with violence, with errors, & even with crimes. But while we weep over the means, we must pray for the end. … we hope good things.”
People stood; they fought and they fell because they wanted to make a difference. While you and I may come up with other strategies that would have been more effective, faster, or more efficient, we weren’t on the scene. We were not there to fight, to go into the battle or to engage in the arguments.
That wasn’t our time. Our time is now!
This is what Make America Great Again means. It means, as Jefferson added, that the vast majority of our country’s inhabitants are too “enlightened, too well experienced in the blessings of freedom and undisturbed industry, to tolerate long a contrary state of things.”
This is a call for us – all inhabitants, all people. While some battles are larger and more complex, there are always local issues and arguments where our own small efforts make the difference. It may be hard to recognize but our presence is just what others need, it is what really counts.
It’s time for all of us to take up the charge of freedom and liberty bound to personal responsibility.
We are faced with living in an age where morally subversive, economically destructive, socially degrading, and devious pathways are set out in front of us. Which path will you take?
If you are feeling unsure, uninformed or timid, I’ve got the solution – Come and join Diane and I at the Jackson County MOGA 2024 Event. It’s an all-day affair so bring the family; join in the fun; listen to the great line-up of hard-hitting, no-nonsense speakers, get up close and personal with Oregon State and Local candidates, gain new insights, and find out how you can play a pivotal role in “Taking Oregon Back” and securing a bright future for our families, for Oregon and for America!
Remember Thomas Paine’s words, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Well, there is nothing new under the sun – we face a leftist agenda that seems bent on destroying our great state and nation. Join with me and take up the challenge to be the patriots who are willing to stand in the gap. Now is our time!
Here is the first step…
Buy tickets now for MOGA 2024, Make Oregon Great Again. The event will be held this coming Saturday, June 22nd, at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point. Saturday, June 22nd – Gates Open at 9:00 a.m.
Best Regards,
Dennis Linthicum
Oregon State Senate – District 28
© 2024 Dennis Linthicum – All Rights Reserved
