Happy Dependence Day

By Joseph Farah

    “colony 1) a group of people who settle in a distant land but
    remain under the political jurisdiction of their native land 2) a
    territory distant from the state having jurisdiction or control over
    it”


    — Webster’s New World

Oh, how I would love to wish you all a happy Independence Day.

That’s the name for this holiday, by the way, Americans. It’s not
just the Fourth of July. It’s not just the day we shoot off fireworks.
It’s not just the day we barbecue burgers. It’s not just the day we go
to the beach. It’s Independence Day — so named because on or about this
date in 1776, a group of courageous men risked their lives, their
fortunes and their sacred honor for a dream of freedom and sweet
autonomy from an imperial power.

It wasn’t just the birth date of American freedom. It was the birth
date of freedom around the world. That’s why the French called George
Washington not just the founding father of the American Revolution, but
“the father of freedom.” He was truly the inspiration for freedom
fighters everywhere.

Like I said, I’d love to wish you a happy Independence Day. But it
would be disingenuous of me to do so. You see, I don’t believe Americans
any longer celebrate, cherish or appreciate independence.

Independence is not considered an ideal. More often, today, we hear
about how our world is “interdependent.” This is considered a good
thing. Keep in mind every time you hear that word glorified that
interdependence is simply another form of dependence.

The sad truth is that the American dream of independence has been
betrayed. Oh, we’re not a colony any more. But we might as well be. In
fact, take a look at the dictionary definition of “colony” and see if it
doesn’t apply to us today.

Aren’t Americans, in a sense, all colonists of the great imperial
throne in the District of Columbia? We all pay tribute to this faraway
empire. We are, in reality, little more than serfs doing the bidding of
those in the federal corridors of power in Washington. We’re taxed
without real representation. We’re forced to support a growing standing
army of federal police in our communities. And we face a growing threat
of disarmament — one of the great fears of the colonists who touched
off the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord.

What we are witnessing, sadly, is the decline and fall of the
American Empire. The sun sets on every empire established by man, and
ours will be no exception.

One of the most popular books of all time is “The Decline and Fall of
the Roman Empire,” written in 1788 by Edward Gibbon. The book set forth
five basic reasons why great civilizations wither and die:

  • The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home,
    which is the basis for human society;

  • Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public money for free
    bread and circuses for the populace;

  • The mad craze for pleasure — sports becoming every year more
    exciting, more brutal, more immoral;

  • The building of great armaments when the real enemy is within —
    the decay of individual responsibility;

  • The decay of religion — with faith fading into mere form, losing
    touch with life, losing power to guide people;

The average age of the world’s civilizations has been 200 years.
Civilizations and empires tend to progress through this sequence, say
historians:

  • from bondage to spiritual faith
  • from spiritual faith to great courage
  • from courage to liberty
  • from liberty to abundance
  • from abundance to selfishness
  • from selfishness to complacency
  • from complacency to apathy
  • from apathy to dependence
  • from dependence back again to bondage

America is 224 years old today. Where do you think we, as a
nation, are in that sequence?

Happy Dependence Day, America!

Joseph Farah

Joseph Farah is founder, editor and chief executive officer of WND. He is the author or co-author of 13 books that have sold more than 5 million copies, including his latest, "The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament." Before launching WND as the first independent online news outlet in 1997, he served as editor in chief of major market dailies including the legendary Sacramento Union. Read more of Joseph Farah's articles here.