Rededicate ourselves to original ideals

In The Declaration of Independence, these truths were stated to be self-evident: all men are created equal and have unalienable rights (Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness are some of these rights). Further, governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed and it is the right and duty of citizens to throw off a despotic government. Then, there is a detailed list of what the king of England had done that would define his complete tyranny over the colonies.

In The Preamble to the Constitution, "we the people" ordained and established the Constitution to, among other objectives, "establish justice" and "promote general welfare" and "secure the blessings of liberty." Not only for ourselves, but for future generations, "we the people" overthrew a tyrant and created a nation.

In The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln said that the Civil War was "testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."

We are now engaged in a different war, and it too is testing whether our democracy and all the values it is dedicated to, will endure. Will we come under a Russian dictator or another despot? It is a time to love and protect what The United States has been, is, and aspires to be.

The time we are living in has its patriots: those men and women who love country more than self and more than political partisanship. Like Sen. John McCain, they embody the ideals and aspirations of our country.

Elizabeth Turner

St. Charles