The Freedoms: Commentary on the Bill of Rights, The First Amendment: Part One

Recently I was watching television and had the opportunity to watch an episode of "Little House on the Prairie". The episode was about an immigrant family from Russia who had moved to Walnut Grove and purchased a farm within the community. To make a long story short, in the episode the state levied a property tax increase which the community was livid about, and eventually seized the property of this Russian family because the person who sold him the property had not paid the property taxes in seven years. Charles being upset with his own tax situation seeing this happen was angered at the Country for allowing this to happen and informed his family that they would not be celebrating the Centennial celebration of the birth of this Nation. He went to try and console this family in their loss and complain against the Country. In a manner which caused me to become emotional this gentleman reminded Charles Ingals and myself what it means to be a Citizen of this great Country, and reminded him of what he called, "the freedoms", or what we would call the Bill of Rights. He went on to tell Charles and the rest of the towns people that they should consider themselves lucky to be living in what he considered to be the greatest Country on the face of this earth. This episode got me thinking about the Constitution and the greatness of this Country, and you know what, he was right. Each of us should consider ourselves lucky to be living here in this Country. With everything that we complain about, we are still free, and "the freedoms" still are important. I would like to take the next few posts to review each one of these "freedoms" or rights because I believe that we as a Nation have become so blinded by the media's interpretation of them as well as the way we are taught them in school that we don't take the time to read them for ourselves.

As part of our regular weekly family night in our home we've taken the opportunity to study the Constitution with our children during the course of the past year and a half. We started with a video on the Constitutional Convention and from there took the opportunity to discuss with our children what the Constitution is. Since then we've been going over the Amendments to the Constitution the first ten of which are called The Bill of Rights. The first of these guaranteed rights granted us by our Constitution is:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging
the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for
a redress of grievances."

Let's dissect the first Amendment to ensure that we understand its significance to us as a people. First, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." I don't think there are many who would argue the meaning of this first section, although there are those who would read into it the separation of Church and State which all too often is mistakenly applied to the Constitution. As a matter of fact when I first posted this blog I had a survey in which I asked if the Constitution contained the phrase, "separation of church and state", and I had some people say that it was found within the Constitution. The truth is, that this supposed separation only exists within the halls of the Supreme Court and not the Constitution. If this phrase is not found in the Constitution, where does it come from?

In 1802, Thomas Jefferson in a letter to a group called the
Danbury Baptists, while referencing the First Amendment to the Constitution he
wrote:

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

To understand fully what Mr. Jefferson was referring to we need to know the history or events leading up to the writing of this letter. This group was concerned that Connecticut would pass laws prohibiting their free exercise of religion and felt that they were in danger of being disbanded by political bias. In a letter dated October 7, 1801 they wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson who had just been elected President of the United States they presented their concern thus:

"Our Sentiments are uniformly on the side of Religious Liberty — That Religion is at all times and places a matter between God and individuals — That no man ought to suffer in name, person, or effects on account of his religious Opinions - That the legitimate Power of civil government extends no further than to punish the man who works ill to his neighbor..."

The quote above, attributed to Thomas Jefferson was his response to them to assuage their fears. The afore mentioned quote of President Jefferson if taken at face value, indicates something far different from that which society today interprets them to mean. As a side note the "wall of separation" and thus "separation of church and state" never appeared in any Supreme Court Ruling until Reynolds v. United States in 1879 (see blog posting : "Marriage and the Constitution", dated October 11, 2008). It is clear in President Jefferson's letter that he is explicitly referencing the ability of the legislature to establish a religion or govern in the affairs of religion and not that there should be no "religiosity" in political realms. I believe this to be in the contrary. Many of our Founding Fathers indicated religion as being the basis upon which this Country was founded and that if religion and God were to ever be removed by the people in their political realms this would be the cause of great troubles which would befall the Nation as a whole. To prove this point let me here provide some quotes from those who would know what our Founding Fathers thought on the subject of religion and our Country.

John Adams said on October 11, 1798, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Samuel Adams on October 4, 1790 stated, "Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate the age by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity… and leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.”

John Quincy Adams during a Fourth of July speech in 1837 said, “Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day [the Fourth of July]?" “Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity"?

Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence said on November 4, 1800, " Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments."

Finally, lets end with Benjamin Franklin. In 1749 while laying out the plan for education for public schools in Pennsylvania he insisted that schools teach "the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern."

I believe the quotes as sited by those who are traditionally considered among
our Founding Fathers in this Nation are sufficient to prove my point that at
no time during their lives did they ever believe that religious actions or God
should ever be removed from the public interest or arena. I could go on for hours with quote after quote proving this point, but as stated already I believe these should suffice.

In my next post I will continue with my treatise of this subject of the First Amendment and we will discuss the second part of the freedom of speech and of the press.

The Constitutional Rights of "Joe" the Plumber

Well it was bound to happen. The man known to America as Joe the Plumber is being attacked by the media. All he did was ask a tough question of Obama and now he is public enemy number one, because he owes back taxes (totaling less than $1,200) and his name is not really Joe, it's Samuel. He should be taken out and severely punished for lying about his name. Oh, and did you know he isn't even a licensed plumber? Yeah, his boss is, not him, how dare he call himself a plumber. I am being facetious here of course. I could care less about his back taxes, or his name or even if he is a plumber or not. What I care about is the fact that his individual right to speech has come under fire. All for asking the question on why he should vote for Obama taking into consideration his current economic situation. If Obama can't answer the question without being put out when a person doesn't agree with him on the outcome is that any reason to cause that he be excoriated for his position in being opposed to his economic views. Any intelligent non-political analysis of Obama's economic "plan" will uncover errors and omissions of major importance.

History has repeatedly shown that you cannot tax a nation into prosperity, it is anathema to common sense. His plan would give tax incentives to companies for a period of two years to create jobs in America and then at the end of two years those incentives would expire and those companies would loose the advantage of the domestic workforce. No company would go through the expense of hiring and training a workforce for two years. The "benefit" doesn't exist and therefore it is a smoke screen or merely a poor attempt at political posturing. America seems to be buying it though, he cares about the little guy, the working class American. When you look into his proposals you will see who he cares about, and it is himself. He will create more unemployment and create more financial stress in the market until he can implement his true economic agenda, socialism.

His health care plan for example, will require companies that are wealthy ($250,000 and more) to provide health care benefits for their employees and be assessed a tax to fund the national fund for health care. Employees will be able to retain their current benefits without any problems according to Obama. Let's look at reality, a company who is paying for health care and paying an additional tax to cover universal health care will gradually lower benefits until the employee declines employer sponsored health care, these employees will then move over to the universal health care increasing the demand. By the way if you think that this is merely an attempt to smear Obama and say that he is unintelligent, look at the case of Hawaii. Seven months ago Hawaii passed the Nation's first universal health care program to cover all children in Hawaii. Today they announced that they were closing it down because too many people who were getting benefits from either work or self-paid were taking their children off of their policies and getting them on the State sponsored policies, which overburdened the system and depleted the funds allotted for it. The same will happen with Obama's plan and there will be a massive push for the government to takeover the health care system. Just like we see right now with the government buying up stock in banks, taking ownership of banks throughout the country.

Obama mentioned in the debate the other night that we as a Nation and them as the government need to re-evaluate the way things are done in the United States with regards to debt and our economic plans, this is merely code for we need to re-evaluate capitalism and consider moving more toward communism if we are to succeed in today's world. Communism is not the answer for America, free market enterprise without government intervention is though. We don't need more government oversight of every little detail, this just creates more bureaucracies to deal with and which drain much needed financial resources from the federal government and therefore from the people.

Let's get back to "Joe" the wanna be plumber. He in actuality represents each and every hard working American. Each of us wants to live the American dream of owning our own company or reaching a level of success in our careers where we are earning six figures easily. Under Obama this dream or hope becomes dead, or as Obama would put it, our " Audacity of Hope". This our audacity is what Obama wishes to conquer and help us overcome by being more Patriotic and paying more taxes and giving up on this foolish notion of business ownership for self improvement and or career advancement. Those who are suckling on the breast of the federal government will continue to be taken care of for their continued support while those who dare try to obtain greatness will be litigiously whipped into submission until we freely accept the redistribution of wealth in America give up our supposed claim to individual rights understanding that the Constitution is a document of yesterday and today America must embark on a new journey, a journey to align ourselves with their view of America as broken and mean spirited.

I for myself will never accept this view of America. I am free, and I will remain free. My rights and this freedom which I claim is not given to me by man, but by God. May our Nation forever be one, united under a common sense of duty and respect. My prayer for America is that our politicians will respect us as Americans and allow us to live free under the protection of the Constitution. May we ever remain a Nation United!

Marriage and The Constitution

Before I start in on my intended subject of same-sex marriage, let's take a look at the history of marital laws in the United States of America and the Constitutionality of those laws as set forth by the courts. In order to do this we will need to take a look at the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since the laws with regards to marriage as passed by the Congress and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court dealt principally with the Mormon church.

In 1862, Congress passed the anti-polygamy law known as the Morrill Act. This was the first act of the national Republican party in trying to derail the Mormon church since they were created to rid society of the two pillars of social blight, slavery and Mormonism. This law forbade the practise of plural marriage or polygamy. It created strict penalties including prison terms for those who violated the law. The Church was to cease all practise of polygamy immediately. In 1875 members of the Church with the consent of the leaders of the church challenged the law in the Supreme Court. In 1879 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the United States in the case Reynolds v. United States, in a unanimous decision by the court, it ruled that the U.S. Congress had all right given under the Constitution to define marriage and make laws to enforce that definition by the governing body. As a side note, what I find interesting with this 9-0 decision in favor of the Morrill Act in 1879 is that in 2008 the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution protected the individual right to keep and bare arms. I'll let you make your conclusions as to the motivation backing the premise behind these two decisions, and I'll continue with my original topic. With this new found backing by the court, the congress passed the Edmunds-Tucker Act with stiffer penalties if not adhered to immediately. The Church facing complete isolation and the prospect of loosing all property through seizure by the Federal Government moves to make the practise of polygamy illegal within the Church. Many men who refuse to leave their families are placed in prison and others flee to Mexico to live in peace with their wives and children. I could get into a discussion with regards to the Constitutional issues surrounding this ordeal, but I will leave it at that and continue on topic.

Now let's flash forward in time to today. There has been several attempts by some in congress to introduce an amendment to the Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. The opposition to this amendment within the congress has stated that congress has no right to define marriage and that it is a state's right issue. In principle I believe this stance to be correct. The 10th Amendment to the Constitution as found in the Bill of Rights and ratified in 1791 states as follows: " The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." This means since the Constitution makes no mention of a definition of marriage or contrary to the ruling of the Supreme Court in 1879, the States and or the people make the decision on the definition of marriage. This being said, although I believe the ruling of the Court to be motivated by religious bigotry and intolerance, nonetheless they ruled that the Congress has the Constitutional authority to define marriage within the United States, and since we as a people cannot go against the ruling of the Supreme Court as witnessed in the case with Roe v. Wade the Congress has the authority for now to define marriage.

I therefore ask this question, why then has the Congress refused to act on this subject? I believe the answer is simple. As in many instances in recent decades our illustrious elected officials have repeatedly refused to take upon themselves the responsibility to govern in those tough issues and have sat idly by and allowed the Courts to legislate from the bench. I believe this is what they are attempting to do in this case with full knowledge as to how the Court will eventually rule. We see in Massachusetts once the people voted in favor of a Constitutional Amendment the Courts came back and said, that although the people spoke, they have no right to define marriage and same-sex marriage was legalized. In Connecticut this week, their High (and mighty) Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage thereby taking out of the hands of the people to define marriage for themselves. Next month in California Proposition 8 will attempt to define marriage in California as between one man and one woman. If the people come out in favor, will the Courts in California uphold the ruling? I believe we can safely assume that the answer to that will be, No. Since they have already ruled in favor of same-sex unions in California.

Twenty-seven states currently have Constitutional Amendments prohibiting same-sex marriage. Forty-one states have statutory laws prohibiting same-sex unions but all are under judicial review. With political hot bed, our Congress has been unable to muster the 2/3 votes needed to pass the law. If nothing is done within Congress the Courts will determine the outcome of this battle between traditional and re-defined marriage.

What can we do? We can write our Congressmen and women and demand that action be taken to define marriage as between one man and one woman. We must hold our legislatures accountable to do their job and stop the Courts from legislating from the bench. Article III of the Constitution states that,"...the Supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and such Regulations as the Congress shall make." This means that Congress makes laws and the Court upholds them, not the other way around. It is time that our government understand the Constitution and stop trying to skirt the issues at hand.

Make no mistake about it, either the voice of the people will be heard, or the Courts will be heard on this issue. Then what will be next? Will homosexuality be taught to our children in schools as a normal choice and perfectly acceptable so that a 5-year old in kindergarten will grow up with their parents telling them one thing and their teachers and educators telling them something else? Will parental rights be completely stripped away with regards to this issue? I believe the answers to these questions will be in the affirmative. Then will those who practise bestiality, or necrophiles, or pedophiles be granted their rights under this new found Constitutional right? Where does it stop? It won't.

My call is to all Americans worthy of that appellation to stand up and make your voice heard. If we are to save the sacred institution of marriage then we must act. The future of our Country and our societies demands that we do something now. Stand up, and prepare for the battle ahead, because this is not a matter of just marriage, but a matter of National security. I feel strongly about this subject. We must act or be acted upon.

God Bless America! And may Freedom ring from the tops of every hill penetrating in every climb and may the flame of freedom burn brightly in the hearts of every American until we are able to say, We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America!

(Video on same-sex marriage)
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1815825713

George Washington's Vision

Typically I stick to issues of the Constitution and its relation to today's politics. Today I had the opportunity to spend some time in spiritual reflection and as I did so I had several things come to my mind which at the time were disturbing to me. Those who know me, know of my love for this Nation. I love America and its Constitution, and it sickens me when I see it being torn apart by partisan politics. Those individuals who are elected and given a public trust to guide this Nation out of a sense of service to the Country and its people.

As I mentioned, as I was meditating upon the beauty of this land and upon the freedoms which I enjoy my mind reflected upon several scriptures which describe the destiny, and importance of our Constitutional form of government. As I did this my mind caught hold of a memory, a story which I had once heard about George Washington which occurred to him while spending the winter of 1777 in Valley Forge with his troops. What I would like to do is present the relation of his experience as it was published in the National Tribute in 1880.

"The last time I ever saw Anthony Sherman was on the fourth of July, 1859, in Independence Square. He was then ninety-nine years old, and becoming very feeble. But though so old, his dimming eyes rekindled as he gazed upon Independence Hall, which he had come to visit once more."

"Lets go into the hall," he said,., "I want to tell you of an incident of Washington's life, one which no one alive knows of except myself; and if you live, you will before long see it verified. Mark the prediction, you will see it verified." "From the opening of the Revolution we experienced all phases of fortune, now good and now ill, one time victorious and another conquered. The darkest period we had, I think, was when Washington after several reverses, retreated to valley Forge, where he resolved to pass the winter of 1777. Ah! I have often seen the tears coursing down our dear commander's care-worn cheeks, as he would be conversing with a confidential officer about the condition of his poor soldiers. You have doubtless heard the story of Washington's going to the thicket to pray. Well, it was not only true, but he used often to pray in secret for aid and comfort. And God brought us safely through the darkest days of tribulation." "ONE DAY, I remember it well, the chilly winds whistled through the leafless trees, though the sky was cloudless and the sun shone brightly. He remained in his quarters nearly all the afternoon, alone. When he came out I noticed that his face was a shade paler than usual, and there seem ed to be something on his mind of more than ordinary importance. Returning just after dark, he dispatched an orderly to the quarters of an office, who was presently in attendance. After a preliminary conversation of about half an hour, Washington, gazing upon his companion with that strange look of dignity which he alone could command, said to the latter...

"I do not know whether it is going to the anxiety of my mind, or what, but this afternoon, as I was sitting at this table engaged in preparing a dispatch, something in the apartment seemed to disturb me. Looking up, I beheld standing opposite me a singularly beautiful being. So astonished was I, for I had given strict orders not to be disturbed that it was some moments before I found language to inquire the cause of the visit. A second, a third, and even a fourth time did I repeat the question, but received no answer from my mysterious visitor except a slight raising of the eyes." "By this time I felt strange sensations spreading over me. I would have risen but the riveted gaze of the being before me rendered volition impossible. I assayed once more to speak, but my tongue had become useless, as if paralyzed. A new influence, mysterious, potent, irresistible, took possession of me. All I could do was to gaze steadily, vacantly at my unknown visitor." " Gradually the surrounding atmosphere seemed to fill with sensation, and grew luminous. Everything about me seemed to rarefy, the mysterious visitor also becoming more airy and yet more distinct to my eyes than before. I began to feel as one dying, or rather to experience the sensations which I have sometimes imagined accompanied death. I did not think, I did not reason, I did not move. All were alike impossible. I was only conscious of gazing fixedly, vacantly, at my companion."

"Presently I heard a voice saying, 'Son of the Republic, look and learn,' while at the same time my visitor extended an arm eastward. I now beheld a heavy white vapor at some distance rising fold upon fold. This gradually dissipated, and I looked upon a strange scene. Before me lay, spread out in one vast plain, all the countries of the world, Europe, Asia , Africa, and America. I saw rolling and tossing between Europe and America the billows of the Atlantic, and between Asia and America lay the Pacific. 'Son of the Republic,' said the same mysterious voice as before, 'look and learn.' "At that moment I beheld a dark, shadowy being, like an angel, standing, or rather floating in mid-air, between Europe and America. Dipping water out of the ocean in the hollow of each hand, he sprinkled some upon America with his right hand, while with his left he cast some over Europe. Immediately a cloud arose from these countries, and joined in mid ocean. For awhile it seemed stationary, and then it moved slowly westward, until it enveloped America in its murky folds. Sharp flashed of lightening gleamed through it at intervals, and I heard the smothered groans and cries of the American people. " This may be interpreted to have been the Revolutionary War then in progress. "A second time the angel dipped from the ocean and sprinkled it out as before. The dark cloud was then drawn back to the ocean, in whose billows it sank from view."

"A third time I heard the mysterious visitor saying, 'Son of the Republic, look and learn.'" I cast my eyes upon America and beheld villages and towns and cities springing up one after another until the whole land from the Atlantic to the Pacific was dotted with them. Again, I heard the mysterious voice say, 'Son of the Republic, the end of the century cometh, look and learn." "And this time the dark shadowy angel turned his face southward. From Africa I saw an ill-omened specter approach our land. It flitted slowly and heavily over every town and city of the latter. The inhabitants presently set themselves in battle array against each other. As I continued looking, I saw a bright angel on whose brow rested a crown of light, on which was traced the word 'Union.' He was bearing the American flag. He placed the flag between the divided nation and said, 'remember, ye are brethren.'"
"Instantly, the inhabitants, casting down their weapons, became friends once more and untied around the National Standard."

"Again, I heard the mysterious voice saying, 'Son of the republic, look and learn.' At this the dark, shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his mouth, and blew three distinct blasts; and taking water from the ocean, he sprinkled it upon Europe, Asia, and Africa." "Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene. From each of these continents arose thick black clouds that were soon joined into one. And through this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men. These men, moving with the cloud, marched by land and sailed by sea to America, which country was enveloped in the volume of the cloud. And I dimly saw these vast armies devastate the whole country and burn the villages, towns and cities which I had seen springing up." "As my ears listened to the thundering of the cannon, clashing of swords, and the shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat, I again heard the mysterious voice saying, 'Son of the Republic, look and learn.' When this voice had ceased, the dark shadowy angel placed his trumpet once more to his mouth, and blew a long and fearful blast."

"Instantly a light as of a thousand suns shone down from above me, and pierced and broke into fragments the dark cloud which enveloped America. At the same moment the angel upon whose head still shown the word 'Union' and who bore our national flag in one hand and a sword in the other, descended from the heavens attended by legions of white spirits. these immediately joined the inhabitants of America, who I perceived were well-nigh overcome, but who immediately taking courage again, closed up their broken ranks and renewed the battle." "Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict I heard the mysterious voice saying, 'Son of the Republic, look and learn.' As the voice ceased, the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America. Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together with the armies it had brought, leaving the inhabitants of the land victorious."
"Then once more, I beheld the villages, towns, and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with a loud voice: 'While the stars remain, and the heavens send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union last.' And taking from his brow the crown on which blazoned the word 'Union he placed it upon the standard while the people kneeling down said, 'amen.'" "The scene instantly began to fade and dissolve, and I at last saw nothing but the rising, curling vapor I at first beheld. This also disappeared, and I found myself once more gazing upon the mysterious visitor, who, in the same voice I had heard before, said, 'Son of the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted. Three great perils will come upon the Republic. The most fearful for her is the third. But the whole world united shall not prevail against her. let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land and Union.' With these words the vision vanished, and I started from my seat and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown me the birth, the progress, and the destiny of the United States." "Such, my friends," the venerable narrator concluded, "were the words I heard from Washington's own lips, and America will do well to profit by them."

Many people don't believe in God, or don't believe that God had a hand in establishing this Nation and its Constitution. I have had many heated
discussions with people with regards to these subjects. I believe
that God our Heavenly Father wanted America to be free, and that He, the
Father of all, directed those men, our Founding Fathers to establish not
only this Country as a free Nation, but to ensure those freedoms through
our Constitution. For those of you who would deny the veracity of this
occurrence, in 1854 a man by the name of Orson Hyde, an Elder and Apostle
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave a talk entitled "The
Guardian Angel of America", in the which he mentioned that the angel that he
identified as the Guardian Angel of America was with General Washington in
Camp. Now if God wanted America to be established as a free Nation, and
during the time at Valley Forge General Washington was depressed and
disheartened, not only with the fact that severe losses had driven him to
establish the camp at Valley Forge, but because of all the political intrigue at the Continental Congress with those who wanted him disposed of his position as Commander of the Continental Army and those of his generals who would rather see him dead than lead them in battle, wouldn't that God of love send a messenger to this humble man to give him strength and motivation to continue forward? I would dare
say yes. By the way remember the incident of George Washington's vision was first related in 1880, and Elder Hyde gave his talk in 1854, he would not have known through conventional knowledge that George Washington had seen an angel while wintering with his troops in Valley Forge.

So may we all remember that this land is a
land of promise and of freedom,
and may each one of us be found fighting for
liberty that it may not be said
of us that we were not worthy of the
greatest of all the gifts of God on this
earth, which is our freedom and our
citizenship in this great Country, The
United States of America.