Why Stand We Here Idle ?
By William Bailey (10/11/03)
The date: March 23, 1775
The place: St. John’s Church, Richmond, Virginia
The occasion: The Second Virginia Convention assembled to consider weighty matters concerning the tyranny and oppression of the Crown.
The scene: A thirty-nine year old delegate from Hanover County took a seat in the third pew . . . a man with a burden. He knew he faced “an irresolute body; that he would be opposed by the powerful, wealthy, Tory element among the members. He realized that the Loyalists were insidiously entrenched and the outcome was uncertain. His risk was tremendous. But, “Liberty” burned in his heart and flowed through his veins. “Death” was to be preferred before cowering in fear before the British leviathan. He rose, and began to speak with the passion of a patriot. His name was . . . Patrick Henry.
It was a powerful speech . . . a passionate speech. One that ended with the words we all remember, “Forbid it, Almighty God ! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death !”
During the speech, Mr. Henry posed the question, “Why stand we here idle ?” He went on to say, “What is it that gentlemen wish ? What would they have ? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery ?”
Granted . . . the question posed by Mr. Henry was at another time and for another purpose. But it does have meaning today. “Why stand we here idle” when the Constitution is being circumvented and subverted by those we elect to govern under that document ? “Why stand we here idle” and let the price of government become the “chains and slavery” of government ? Have we forgotten that another group of patriots pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to set forth that “Governments are established among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” ? The “governed”, that’s us . . . “We the People”.
“Oh,” you say, “I’m just one person . . . what can I do about it ?” You say that you have no interest in running for an elected office. You have grown to where you have a great disdain for all things political. You believe it’s gone so far there’s no hope for recovery and a return to the principles on which we were founded. If that’s where you are, then you must answer a “bottom line” question, “Are you ready to just give up ?” I live with the fervent hope that there are enough citizens out there who would answer that question in the negative. Even though you answer it in the negative, you still have that nagging question, “What can I do” ?
Let me be so bold as to offer a suggestion. If a movement were begun based on a simple formula of “one on one” and doubling the number each day, pretty soon there would be a formidable number of citizens working to return government to the “consent of the governed”. Oh . . . that’s too simple you say. Well, just maybe that’s why it would work. Do you realize that if today, you spoke with one other person about it and tomorrow that number got doubled and each day thereafter, the number doubled . . . in just a short 30-day time span, there would a cumulative total of over ten million people talking and working to get things back “on track”.
If you doubt my math, do this. Take a sheet of paper, set up 3 columns with 31 rows. On the first row, head the columns as follows: Column 1-Day; Column 2-Daily Amount; Column 3- Cumulative Amount. Starting with Day 1, insert the number 1 in both the Daily Amount and Cumulative Amount columns. At Day 2, the Daily Amount doubles to 2, and the Cumulative Amount becomes 3, at Day 3, the Daily Amount becomes 4, the Cumulative Amount becomes 7 . . . and so on. If you follow this formula (and you do the math correctly), you will find that, on the 30th day, the daily amount is over five million and the cumulative amount now exceeds ten million. And, obviously, if you expand this over a longer time period, the numbers become even more dramatic.
Obviously, the premise is that the time has come for those who care deeply about what’s going on with our country to quit “standing idle”. It’s time to be busy about achieving a simple goal . . . government based on the Constitution of the United States. And, it’s important to see that taking a (somewhat) simplified approach can accomplish that goal.
As I have said before, if it’s felt that the Constitution needs to be changed, follow the process that is provided. Submit an amendment. If the votes are there at both the Federal and the State level, the change will become effective, if not, it won’t. But, stop the insanity of going around the Constitution by Executive Order, legislation that’s outside the scope of Constitutional authority and judicial rulings that make law instead of interpreting it.
Another American patriot, Samuel Adams, had this to say, “If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsel or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”
“Why stand we here idle ?” There is much to be done . . . and the clock is running.
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