Sic Semper Tyrannis
"Sic Semper Tyrannis", thus reads the phrase at the bottom of the seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Translated, it means "thus always to tyrants." Above it is an image of Virtue, sword in hand and a foot on the chest of the fallen Tyranny with his crown laying nearby. The symbolism is obvious: that virtue will triumph over oppression. Those of us who have read the Bible through to the end understand this will be the ultimate outcome. That is the ultimate outcome... but what about now?
The motto was suggested at the Virginia Convention in 1776 by George Mason... then placed in the official state seal designed by Declaration of Independence signer, George Wythe. This was at a time when the commonwealth and our fledgling nation were locked in a struggle for survival and independence from the British crown. The Declaration phrased it, "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions", meaning that they were looking for divine assistance in their struggle for freedom.
This struggle was one that they understood to be theirs... that they were not just depending on the righteousness of their cause being sufficient for success. These founding fathers knew they had to put forth the effort and endure the pain and hardship of their course... but they also knew that they had the force of natural law, the desire for freedom and their creator on their side.
They knew the struggle was not just for themselves, but for all the other citizens of the the colonies who craved freedom. The freedom fighters knew it was part of their service to their fellow man. James Madison put it this way, "Resistance to tyranny is service to God." Not only did they look to the hand of God to aid their efforts, they also saw such efforts as serving Him and in spreading the divinely mandated freedom throughout their land.
People of that era did not have the easy life we have today but there was a common understanding of Christian principles... of right and wrong. They understood that rights came from God and not from government. They knew they had to oppose restrictions on their rights.
Today, we don't see a power from across the sea encroaching on our liberties and property. For those of us in Virginia, it is right across the Potomac River. We have a president who is appointing one czar after another. Each one has a sole purpose in life to meddle with, and manipulate, some area of our lives. The last I heard, there were more than twenty of these petty czars, reporting only the the alpha czar, Barack Hussein Obama. They exist to tell us what to do about energy, and the environment. They are here to tell us how much we should be paid, unless we are union members. They are appointed to tell the automobile companies what kind of cars they should make for us to drive.
Even Mr. Porkbarrel, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) registered his concern in a letter to the White House where he wrote, "The rapid and easy accumulation of power by White House staff can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances." He went on to complain about past czars, "They rarely testify before congressional committees and often shield the information and decision-making process behind the assertion of executive privilege."
The point is that they are given significant power in the executive branch, yet are not subject to the Senate confirmation process or congressional oversight. The president could, and may yet appoint the likes of Ward Churchill to oversee education. He has already appointed John Holdren who, in the past, has advocated forced abortions and mass sterilizations, as his science guru.
Much of this is going on under the radar and we won't know about it until we run into rules, regulations and restrictions created by executive fiat. We will generally find ourselves alone, facing the power of the federal government as it willfully violates the natural law that our forefathers struggled to lay down as the foundation of our constitution.
The question then becomes how will we respond. Will we tell census takers all the private personal information they request? Will we permit bureaucrats in Washington prescribe our health care? Will we quietly permit federal inspectors inside our homes? Will we stand quietly by as our weapons are confiscated?
In the early morning hours of April 19, 1775 our forefathers made that choice as they stood on Lexington Green, then later that day at Concord, when the British troops came to confiscate their weapons. The colonists stood up the the British regulars... and the regulars did not succeed!
Each one must answer for him or herself, but even Albert Einstein, not a particularly political or revolutionary man had this advice, "Never do anything against conscience even if the State demands it."
The motto was suggested at the Virginia Convention in 1776 by George Mason... then placed in the official state seal designed by Declaration of Independence signer, George Wythe. This was at a time when the commonwealth and our fledgling nation were locked in a struggle for survival and independence from the British crown. The Declaration phrased it, "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions", meaning that they were looking for divine assistance in their struggle for freedom.
This struggle was one that they understood to be theirs... that they were not just depending on the righteousness of their cause being sufficient for success. These founding fathers knew they had to put forth the effort and endure the pain and hardship of their course... but they also knew that they had the force of natural law, the desire for freedom and their creator on their side.
They knew the struggle was not just for themselves, but for all the other citizens of the the colonies who craved freedom. The freedom fighters knew it was part of their service to their fellow man. James Madison put it this way, "Resistance to tyranny is service to God." Not only did they look to the hand of God to aid their efforts, they also saw such efforts as serving Him and in spreading the divinely mandated freedom throughout their land.
People of that era did not have the easy life we have today but there was a common understanding of Christian principles... of right and wrong. They understood that rights came from God and not from government. They knew they had to oppose restrictions on their rights.
Today, we don't see a power from across the sea encroaching on our liberties and property. For those of us in Virginia, it is right across the Potomac River. We have a president who is appointing one czar after another. Each one has a sole purpose in life to meddle with, and manipulate, some area of our lives. The last I heard, there were more than twenty of these petty czars, reporting only the the alpha czar, Barack Hussein Obama. They exist to tell us what to do about energy, and the environment. They are here to tell us how much we should be paid, unless we are union members. They are appointed to tell the automobile companies what kind of cars they should make for us to drive.
Even Mr. Porkbarrel, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) registered his concern in a letter to the White House where he wrote, "The rapid and easy accumulation of power by White House staff can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances." He went on to complain about past czars, "They rarely testify before congressional committees and often shield the information and decision-making process behind the assertion of executive privilege."
The point is that they are given significant power in the executive branch, yet are not subject to the Senate confirmation process or congressional oversight. The president could, and may yet appoint the likes of Ward Churchill to oversee education. He has already appointed John Holdren who, in the past, has advocated forced abortions and mass sterilizations, as his science guru.
Much of this is going on under the radar and we won't know about it until we run into rules, regulations and restrictions created by executive fiat. We will generally find ourselves alone, facing the power of the federal government as it willfully violates the natural law that our forefathers struggled to lay down as the foundation of our constitution.
The question then becomes how will we respond. Will we tell census takers all the private personal information they request? Will we permit bureaucrats in Washington prescribe our health care? Will we quietly permit federal inspectors inside our homes? Will we stand quietly by as our weapons are confiscated?
In the early morning hours of April 19, 1775 our forefathers made that choice as they stood on Lexington Green, then later that day at Concord, when the British troops came to confiscate their weapons. The colonists stood up the the British regulars... and the regulars did not succeed!
Each one must answer for him or herself, but even Albert Einstein, not a particularly political or revolutionary man had this advice, "Never do anything against conscience even if the State demands it."
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