Celebrating the Symbols of Liberty ... Happy Independence Day

by Clio

This Sunday, July 4th, Americans celebrate our nation's Independence Day. We note the event with fireworks, parades, patriotic displays and in singing our national anthem.

A few days ago, a local news station aired footage of our national bird, the American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, meaning "halo" and "head").

As the camera zoomed in for a close-up of this noble symbol of strength and majesty, I felt that familiar sense of pride and a chill; visceral emotions that most Americans feel in the presence of our country's emblems and when showing respect for our nation and history, such as standing in the presence of our flag, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and in the sound of our national anthem, sung heartily and with reverence for a flag "Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming..." ("The Star Spangled Banner," Francis Scott Key)

Every morning in school, we stood with our hands over our hearts and "pledged allegiance to the flag..." We learned to respect the elements of our citizenship, including the symbols of liberty, such as the American Bald Eagle.

"The eagle represents freedom. Living as he does on the tops of lofty mountains, amid the solitary grandeur of Nature, he has unlimited freedom, whether with strong pinions he sweeps into the valleys below, or upward into the boundless spaces beyond.
It is said the eagle was used as a national emblem because, at one of the first battles of the Revolution (which occurred early in the morning) the noise of the struggle awoke the sleeping eagles on the heights and they flew from their nests and circled about over the heads of the fighting men, all the while giving vent to their raucous cries. "They are shrieking for Freedom," said the patriots.
Thus the eagle, full of the boundless spirit of freedom, living above the valleys, strong and powerful in his might, has become the national emblem of a country that offers freedom in word and thought and an opportunity for a full and free expansion into the boundless space of the future."
--Maude M. Grant

The American Bald Eagle appears on most official seals including the Seal of the Office of the President and on the backs on gold coins. It also graces the Great Seal of the United States of America, created by Charles Thomson in June 1782:

- The shield is composed of thirteen stripes that represent the several states joined into one solid compact, supporting the chief which unites the whole and represents Congress. The stripes are kept closely united by the chief and the chief depends upon that union and the strength resulting from it.
-  The motto E Pluribus Unum alludes to this union.
-  The shield is born on the breast of an American Eagle without any other supporters to denote that the United States of  America ought to rely on their own virtue.
-  The olive branch and arrows denote the power of peace and war which is exclusively vested in Congress.
-  The constellation of thirteen stars denotes a new state taking its place and rank among other sovereign powers.
-  The pyramid signifies strength and duration.
-  The Eye over it and the motto Annuit Coeptis allude to the many signal interpositions of providence in favor of the American cause.
-  The date 1776 underneath is that of the Declaration of Independence and the words Novus Ordo Seclorum under it signify the beginning of the new American Era, which commences from that date.

The Escutcheon is composed of the chief and pale, the two most honorable ordinaries. The Pieces, paly, represent the several states all joined in one solid compact entire, supporting a Chief, which unites the whole and represents Congress. The Motto alludes to this union. The pales in the arms are kept closely united by the chief and the Chief depends upon that union and the strength resulting from it for its support, to denote the Confederacy of the United States of America and the preservation of their union through Congress.

The colours of the pales are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness and valor, and Blue, the colour of the Chief signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice. The Olive branch and arrows denote the power of peace and war which is exclusively vested in Congress. The Constellation denotes a new State taking its place and rank among other sovereign powers. The Escutcheon is born on the breast of an American Eagle without any other supporters to denote that the United States of America ought to rely on their own Virtue.

(Glossary of Heraldic Terms used in the Remarks: chief is the top part of the shield, escutcheon is the shield, pale, pieces, paly are the vertical stripes on the shield.)

The Bold Pursuit pays tribute to this great American symbol, our Bald Eagle, as he vigilantly watches over our nation from his lofty mountain aerie, just as America oversees the pursuit and protection of liberty at home and abroad.

Look upwards, to our banner – an icon of independence presides over The Bold Pursuit.

Happy Independence Day ... and may God Bless America!



Photo credit: W. Mortimer, "Northwoods Eagle"

COPYRIGHT 2010, All Rights Reserved

Let Us Always Make Error on The Side of Liberty Over Safety & Convenience

Special to The Bold Pursuit ... a provocative blog contributed by Silence Dogood

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin

We all know or have heard that quote before. Stop and think about what it really means for a second. Understand that this statement is a one-size fits all approach to liberty and not some cliché to be battered about between partisans and paradigms. Both the political left and right have fought each others' agendas in the name of good Ole Ben's quote and more often than not, both have been right.

The political left has used this statement to defend against the "Patriot" Act's passage after 9/11. They were right. The right has used it in response to the left's attack on gun ownership. They are also right.

Liberty is not a left/right issue. Moreover, anytime we must make a decision regarding Liberty vs. Safety, let's always err on the side of Liberty.

Do you feel safer in the streets knowing that the government has access to private and public surveillance cameras the area to deter against muggings and other violent crime?

Isn't it more efficient now that the government can listen in on phone calls or view the documents of terrorists and take them into custody for further questioning before waiting for the slow process of a legal warrant?

Aren't we all a bit more safer in some of our busier cities knowing that strict gun laws ensure only trained, licensed, law-abiding citizens (and, yeah well, criminals) are the only one's carrying concealed weapons?

Those of us who live in states that allow law enforcement to pull us over because we don't have our seat belt on is a life saver, is it not?

Is it not so quicker to safely fly from place to place now that we can just walk up to a machine and be scanned for weapons? We really don't care that our wives and children are having nude photographs taken of them. Screw privacy; this is safe!

We are so much more safe, and the world is a better place.

Come close. Come really close. Come on in just a little closer. I want to ask you a question:

How safe will you feel when the government criminalizes you?

How wonderful will it be that the surveillance cameras used to protect us from muggers can also be used to identify us personally the next time we peacefully gather to protest the next legislative nightmare in Congress? Some may consider your protest seditious. I suppose the government could collect the video and enter your photo into a government data bank of dissenters for future use (along with your Google searches, bank account info, so on and so on).

Even worse, if two or more of us happen to speak about policy on terrorism (or anything else really involving government policy) in a way in which the Constitutionally untrained ear of some public officer or government sponsored "civilian militant" overhears, we may be considered terrorists by the Patriot Act. Now that we have been defined as terrorists, we are open to unlawful eavesdropping, search, seizure, and arrest.

There's no need to make a big scene arresting you at the event. After all, there are cameras there you know or some other civilian may capture us on tape hassling you regarding your terrorist demeanor. We don't want to look bad on national TV.

We have you on surveillance. We can print or digitally send your photo out in a nanosecond to the proper authorities. There's really no need to set up a "legal" check point and slow traffic down just to find you. We'll just pull you over because it appeared that you didn't have a seat belt on. I'm glad for your safety that we were wrong about the seat belt thing, but we still need to see your license. Wait here for a second so we can make sure everything checks out OK in our computer anyway. It's just procedure--no big deal.

Wouldn't you know, we have a photo matching your ID. Get out of your vehicle, we have to search your car. What is this? Why do you have a pistol? It's registered? You have a permit? Wow, we really need to tighten up on our gun laws around here if people like you can get a gun so easily. I'll have to suggest tighter gun laws to the mayor. By the way, come with us, you are a suspected terrorist.

On the same subject of safety and security, isn't the Arizona legislature doing a great thing to crack down on illegal immigration by allowing the police to stop these criminals and demand on the spot proof of legal citizenship? Let's round 'em up and send 'em packing. Law enforcement against illegals will be so much more efficient and effective now.

Won't it be great that an officer can walk up to us on the street and demand to see our "papers" on grounds that we just might be an illegal immigrant? You left your driver's license at home because you didn't drive? You can't prove you are an American? I'm afraid you are going to be detained while we sort through all of this. By the way, to hell with your Constitutional right to privacy. I don't care if you didn't break any laws. "Papers please!" as they say in Nazi Germany.

This is a dangerous world. It is also becoming a very high tech world making life easier for us while at the same time making certain aspects of law enforcement easier.

I appeal to remind you that despite the danger and the wonderful power of technology, we must be extremely careful. No matter what technological advances are available to us as, we still have an outline of rules we must follow. We still have a 200 year old document that protects our God-given rights to privacy and liberty.

I warn you that once we take the shortcut and allow our Constitution to be usurped by the conveniences of technology--once we transfer our God-given rights to government granted protection--we will remain on a very fast free fall that will guarantee the slavery of mankind to the state.

The same rights guaranteed from God and outlined in the Constitution are to protect us from becoming criminalized by government tyranny. We must remember this first when considering shortcuts to solve society’s problems and tracking criminals.

Let's not politicize or polarize Liberty. Let us always err on the side of liberty over safety and convenience.



http://rogueon.blogspot.com/2010/04/let-us-always-make-error-on-side-of.html