FREEDOM

All living creatures are born free.  No one has a right to deprive them of their freedom.  Freedom is God's gift to you and me.  Although born free, many are enslaved by tyrants of every description.  Unless we are aware  and constantly resist them,  there is a danger of losing our freedom.

I believe that many of us who have been lucky enough to have been born in freedom do not really appreciate it.  There is not enough taught in our schools to tell the story of the birth of the freedom we enjoy.  The story did not end there.  It has been a continual struggle to hang onto freedom.  Political battles and wars have sustained us this far.  If we become too complacent believing "it can't happen here", it will happen here!

Sometimes it has been necessary to compel the service of our citizens to defend our freedom.  Thanks only to the patriotism and bravery of our all voluntary services, that has not been necessary since WW II, Korea and Viet Nam.  Most of those who served, whether voluntarily or otherwise, have a greater grasp of what it is they are protecting.  For that reason, I believe that all young people, without exception, should perform some kind of voluntary service for their country to understand and  "earn" the freedom they have been given.

Freedom starts out free but keeping it has a price.