July 4 now the definition of irony

July 4 now the definition of irony

The rockets red-glared, the bombs burst and Old Glory was saluted as we honored the 247^th birthday of our great and vaunted nation.

Independence Day, though, is not carrying the meaning it once did, because based on our own apathy and a government that desires more and more power, freedom isn’t what’s actually being practiced.

We wanted to be captains of our own fates individually; it’s even in our mission statement — “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” etc.

While no one will dispute the need for a governing body for any nation, as anarchy only leads to upheaval, that very same mission statement, as well as the legal framework for our nation, set forth that individual rights and state’s rights were the cornerstone to a free society.

Somewhere along the way, that sentiment was usurped by seemingly well-meaning people.

See, at just about every level, our government has taken what should have been our responsibilities on to itself, all in the name of liberty, equality and improving the quality of life (the phrase “general welfare” is used as the basis for pretty much all laws), while simultaneously teaching us that what we have is the best kind of freedom, better than all the other freedom in the world combined.

There is no portion of our lives, though, that do not suffer from the control of elites, and I defy anyone who can name something that doesn’t have the touch of government about it.

For instance, one of the hallmarks of liberty is private property rights, yet while you can own property, it will be subject to laws and regulations from the neighborhood to the federal level, laws that dictate how far a structure can be from the property lines, how much the property is worth (which is used to determine how much money you will pay to the government), and if it’s deemed necessary for the “public good,” it can be taken.

When you’re born, the government takes note, including blood samples, and issues you a number, which is then used to track just about everything you do for the rest of your life.

Everyone was granted a set of rights by the Bill of Rights, yet self-professed cognoscenti was to abridge or even remove those rights, particularly free speech and gun ownership, in the name of safety.

Due process in most cases has been usurped; if a government tells you you’re wrong, it is up to you to prove your innocence (Don’t believe me? Look at the IRS.) Think your property value is too high? You have to dispute it.

Any bank transaction that is more than $10,000 must be reported. Businesses are required to report activities in a manner that is prescribed by the feds (you’ve heard of Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley).

You’re required to have a license to drive, to fish, to hunt, to carry a weapon. You can only use approved drugs, fertilizers, weed control, clothing material. Everything you eat must have nutrition information and an ingredient list. Every job you do must be done in a safe manner or there will be massive fines, and everything you buy must come with safety instructions and have warnings of any environmental concern.

Every federal agency, including and especially the Department of Education, has a quasi-police force and a budget for weapons and ammunition. Most laws passed in the past 15-20 years have expanded the scope of oversight of all lives that there isn’t one segment of our lives that is not scrutinized.

Still and all, if you look at the output of information from news down to social media, the sentiment exists that we are super free and have all the liberty anyone could ever ask for.

Perhaps next year we can take back the rights we’ve let lapse or we have lost, and celebrate a true Independence Day.

Tony Farkas is editor of the San Jacinto News-Times and the Trinity County News-Standard. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..