Do Not Forget What It Is We Stand For.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
These days, our Constitution and the Bill of Rights is under attack from the right, and even moderates of both stripes wonder what the ACLU is thinking when it takes on some of the cases you see in the headlines. But, while you may agree or disagree on certain or even all the issues, we must all be reminded at times what those two documents mean, not only to us as Americans, but to people around the world.
For all our faults, and we have many, the Constitution holds a promise greater than the men who wrote it and the individual citizens who make up this great nation. It is the promise of freedom, opportunity and equality. It is the road map to a brighter future and the reminder of the courage of the past. It is a beacon of hope for many around the world still living in the darkness of oppression and poverty. It is a reminder that the mind of men, while containing the seeds of evil and hate, is capable of envisioning a better place that is as of yet still unreached.
These documents were written by white, slave owning, male members of a landed gentry class not far removed from the one left behind in England, to protect and promote the ideals of liberty and equality set forth in the Declaration of Independence: "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."
At first it was only white males who could partake of this glorious new equality, but in time and with great struggle, those ideals would extend to women and then finally to our African American brethren. However, our journey has not ended. The struggle for true equality goes on as in this time of fear and uncertainty, we are once again faced with a challenge to these ideals. It is in these times, more than any other, that we must stay true to the promise set forth in those documents written so long ago. Yes, we must defend our homeland, but more importantly, we must defend the Constitution.
Gregory P. Colvin
