Today is the 4th of July. I don't know about your neighborhood, but in Utah, the holiday usually means hordes of RVs and trucks pulling boats clogging the highways and what amounts to six days of artillery fire. Sure, there will be the usual fireworks lighting up the sky, but in the past ten years, people began shifting from fireworks that make everyone go "ooh" and "ahh" toward what are known as "motors." The sole purpose of these is not to present pyrotechnic displays but sounds that split eardrums and rattle windows for blocks around.
I'm not knocking the boats, barbecues, booms, and brews that accompany the nation's birthday, but it is easy to forget what we are celebrating, which, of course, is freedom. It could be argued that in a day and age in which freedom is in increasingly short supply, the "reason for the season" should eclipse the celebration rather than be overshadowed by it.
Most people assume that because of my name, Abraham Lincoln is my favorite president. And yes, my parents named me after him. My father considered himself a civil rights pioneer, and so he named me Lincoln in honor of the Great Emancipator.
But Honest Abe is not my favorite president. It's John Adams. A small bust of Adams adorns my desk, and his no-nonsense glare often reminds me to quit daydreaming and get back to work. Adams frequently gets a bad rap from some conservatives and Libertarians for the Alien and Sedition Acts. There is a case to be made for that, but Adams was instrumental in the success of the American Revolution. And name one president who had absolutely no character flaws and who was flawless in the execution of his duties.
The biggest reason I admire Adams is for his role in the Boston Massacre trial. Despite what you may have heard, not everyone was a patriot during that period of our nation's history, but the citizens of Boston were outraged over the incident. Adams took on the difficult and unpopular task of defending the British troops. Fervor against the crown was growing, and the Boston Massacre did nothing to ease tensions.
In his summation, Adams said, "Facts are stubborn things… if they [the soldiers] were assaulted at all… this was a provocation for which the law reduces the offense of killing, down to manslaughter…” The jury found that there was no malice involved, and the soldiers were spared the gallows. Two were found guilty of manslaughter.
Adams understood that there was a duty to truth, even if the truth happened to be unpopular or even incendiary. He understood that the British troops deserved a fair trial and that the facts should never be suborned to sentiment. That is the mark of a civilized and free society. Whatever Adams' detractors may say, if he were alive today, he would have taken hold of Merrick Garland by the good and plenties and not let go.
In 21st-century America, truth has taken a backseat to ego. Truth is repeatedly handed its hat and shown the door, often under the banner of personal freedom or some other nominally lofty ideal. The most obvious example of this is "Queers for Palestine." These people obviously know not what they speak. After all, the most cutting-edge progressives are antisemitic these days, and one must keep up with the trends, even if that trend supports a philosophy that would result in the deaths of the "queers" who advocate for it.
Then there is the matter of Biden's competency. Throughout Biden's terms, his handlers and the media have desperately tried to assure us that the president was mentally fit. Last week, there was no way they could deny reality any longer. One must wonder how long the facts haunted the consciences and minds of the Democrats in power. But that truth had to be ignored, lest conservatives somehow gain an upper hand. It was better to prop up the president than admit the existence of a problem and in the process lose some power. If the safety and security of the nation were at stake, so be it — eggs and omelets, after all. One must advocate for the current thing.
And now, Fox News reports that the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) has filed a brief to intervene in the court case Gaines v. NCAA. Riley Gaines and other female athletes filed the suit in opposition to the NCAA's violation of Title IX. The NWLC wrote in part:
NWLC advocates for inclusive policies that allow all women—including transgender women—to participate fully in society, including in sports…Transgender inclusion helps all women and girls learn free from sex stereotypes and ensures all women and girls can enjoy the lifelong benefits of playing school sports.
The stunning irony is that, according to the article, the organization that would later become the NWLC was formed in 1972 by two women to fight for the passage of Title IX. An organization created to protect women is now advocating for their erasure because the current popular sentiment, or so we are told, is that men can be women.
In every movement, there are true believers, even if they are deluded. But movements gain steam when people fear the screaming hordes to such a degree that they are willing to abandon truth for safety. They may hang a flag or place a sign outside their homes in the hope that the Angel of Woke will pass over their houses. Or they may do so to be perceived as being the right sort of people and granted access to the inner sanctums of the elite.
Whatever the case, when the truth is betrayed for popular sentiment, that is tyranny. Worse yet, it is a shifting tyranny, and one becomes a servant to the whims of whatever is in favor at the moment. "Liberating" oneself from the truth results in servitude, which is something our founders never intended.
