Dakota Beacon

FREEDOM OR LIBERTY?

Once again July 4 brings picnics, parades, and fun for all. After the pop, beer, and hot-dogs are gone and the last fireworks crackle in the night, what remains? The Dog Days of summer stretch before us as history closes the books on another July 4. A question nags, “Is that all there is?”

After the passing of 243 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, many folks of an older generation still reflect on our nation’s quest for freedom and liberty. Eventually a contradiction is bound to arise in the minds of mature citizens. If the idea of freedom and liberty is so dear to us, then how do we account for an ever-expanding federal government and its control over our lives and property?

Our Founders were not stupid. They certainly understood the difference between freedom and liberty. “Don’t they mean the same thing,” you ask? In a general sense, yes. Often today the terms are used interchangeably. But, the Founders were smitten with a special respect for the concept of liberty. They understood the crucial, if subtle, distinction between freedom and liberty.

Narrowly defined, freedom is the license to do as one wants, to do as one pleases. It means a person has been authorized the right to do something. This implies permission granted to do it.

Here is where the distinction between freedom and liberty come into play. Notice, we don’t have a “Freedom Bell” or a “Freedom Tree.” The colonists did not call their secret society advancing the rights of colonists and opposing Britain’s taxes “Sons of Freedom.” Nor do we have a “Statue of Freedom.” The term “liberty” in Liberty Bell, Liberty Tree, Sons of Liberty, and Statue of Liberty represent something quite different than mere freedom.

The distinction between the two terms lay in the source of the authority granting permission. The colonists were in many ways a product of Reformation thinking. Their worldview was greatly shaped by the Reformation. Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence describes liberty second only to life as granted by the Creator. It is an inalienable right, that is, an unchallengeable and immutable right granted by God. No one can legitimately take it away except God.

Freedom, on the other hand, is granted by government. As such, a government granting a freedom as a right can just as easily limit it – or even take it away. Under the guise of freedom bestowed as a right, government can add or subtract rights. In this sense, freedom becomes a step cousin to liberty.

Contemporaneously, think of those who espouse health care as a right. Think also of those who carried adequate health insurance before implementation of Obamacare then lost coverage after Obamacare was imposed. The government is an arbiter of rights. What happened with health care could also happen with freedom.

Think also of pure democracy. In a pure democracy, 51% of the voters can decide how the other 49% must live. The majority can negate the rights of others. As Benjamin Franklin put it, “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” Fortunately, we don’t live in a pure democracy. We live in liberty under a constitutional republic subject to the rule of law -- at least for now.

The paradigm of yesterday has shifted. Given our contemporary culture and state of education, a legitimate question remains. Can we match the character and wisdom of our forefathers and act decisively to preserve the legacy of liberty they have passed to us?

In the end, we do get the government we deserve whether it be modeled after King George’s England or George Orwell’s “1984.” When we behave as if our rights and freedoms come from the government, then those rights and freedoms can just as easily be taken back by the same government. Alternatively, the concept of God-given inalienable rights might be a better way to go. As such, Independence Day takes on more meaning than just the celebration of Chinese fireworks.

This July 4 have fun, be safe, and celebrate liberty!

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)