Mike Huckabee's Commentary On The News

July 4, 2023
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Happy Independence Day and happy 247th birthday to the United States of America! No, this nation was not born in 1619 when slaves first arrived, no matter how many trinkets liberal “journalists” award themselves for creating bogus history. It was born on July 4th, 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which officially kicked out the previous regime and kicked off history’s greatest experiment in freedom.

Today is when all Americans celebrate our freedoms. But sadly, too many young Americans have been miseducated to feel no gratitude for the titanic struggles and sacrifices made by those of previous generations to secure and preserve those freedoms. As the recent pandemic proved, even those who recognize how lucky they are to be Americans are often too willing to trade away their freedoms in exchange for hollow promises of security. As the great philosopher Joni Mitchell once said, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone.”

That’s why the Founding Fathers took such care to lock our most important rights safely within the First Amendment to the Constitution. There are more freedoms guaranteed in that one short sentence than people in most nations can even dream of. That’s why for centuries now, people from around the world have risked their lives to come to America (by the way, why do the same people who think America is the worst nation on Earth also demand open borders to accommodate all the people who want to be Americans?) It’s also why legal immigrants are often more patriotic than natural-born Americans: they’re aware of how unique America is and truly grateful for the freedoms too many of us take for granted.

The Founders understood how precious and rare such freedoms are. When the framers of the Constitution first met in 1787, many feared that if they created a strong federal government, it would trample the rights of the people, just like the British king they’d fought to break free of. So to make sure the people’s rights would always be protected, they added 10 amendments - although George Mason thought they were so important, they should come first, as the Preface to the Constitution!

Now, in case you’ve never heard it or have just forgotten (as too many federal judges and a few Supreme Court Justices I could name apparently have), here is the First Amendment, in its entirety. Don’t worry, this won’t take long:

“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.”

Yep, that’s it. This was before government needed a 2,000-page bill just to ruin your health insurance or put $2 trillion on your credit card. Only 45 simple words were needed to protect our rights… 

* To speak freely without fear of government retribution...

* To publish your thoughts so that other Americans can read and debate them (even if they don’t echo the views of people who work at Facebook and Google)…

* To band together with like-thinking Americans and protest peacefully without fear of arrest…

* To petition our leaders to change their policies…

* And to be free from having an official state religion forced upon us, but also from government interference with the free expression of our personal religious beliefs. A lot of people celebrate the first half of that religious right (no state religion) but pretend the second half (no state interference in religion) doesn’t exist.

Until recently, the Supreme Court seemed hesitant to make clear that it means what it says, even though it takes only six words to say it: “…or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Fortunately, that appears to be changing with recent rulings. Also, note that the phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear in the so-called “Establishment clause” of the First Amendment, or anywhere in the Constitution. In other words, trying to ban religious people from public office and expressions of faith on public property is not supported by the Constitution.

These are the rights that together create the exceptional free American culture that those of who know real history celebrate today. The Founders thought they were all so important that somehow, they found a way to list every single one of them first.

Then, just to be certain that no future government ever tried to take those rights away, they made the very next amendment the right to bear arms. And having just fought a bloody Revolution against the most powerful military force on Earth with citizen soldiers, they certainly never intended to limit gun ownership only to military members.

And perhaps most importantly, they emphasized that these rights are given by God, not government. None of them can ever be repealed. So no matter how hard some people are trying to scratch some of them off of the parchment, it won’t make a lick of difference. You can’t edit God.

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Comments 11-20 of 36

  • Garry Black

    07/04/2022 07:51 PM

    To completely remove religion from any government source is in itself a violation of the "establishment clause" by establishing the national religion of Atheism. Since it's a religious belief even with a national organization using the same tax exemption as other religions. Atheists go nuts when you point out their belief system as a religion. Darwins theory which Atheism clings to has been disproven. It's not science by any stretch of the imagination just junk science to "prove" the Arian race as the most "evolved". Though spices do develop within themselves their is absolutely no true scientific evidence of one species "evolving" to another leaving Atheism a religious theory therefore a religion.

  • Kenneth Robert Brack

    07/04/2022 06:35 PM

    Thank you for stating clearly, on Independence Day, the real purpose of the Second Amendment.

  • Rick Cooper

    07/04/2022 06:34 PM

    Just as the "Tech Elite" and others on the left do not seem to understand the prohibition in the First Ammendment to the U.S. Constitution, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, when is comes to something disagreeable to them; nor do they seem to understand the simple language contained in the Constitution's Second Ammendment, "(S)hall not be infringed".

  • DARRELL MOECK

    07/04/2022 05:24 PM

    Once again, Gov. Huckabee right to the point on First Amendment rights..."You can’t edit God."...our great Country will survive the current destruction of the "Bill of Rights" and will recycle to Peace & Prosperity even for the haters and destructors of the USA...indeed we are a Nation diverse in view points but always respectful even if we disagree. The "dross" in our "melting pot"
    will be removed or changed by the "Rule of Law" established by our Constitution. Never give up...Freedom is always a fight for what is right.

  • Les Haveman

    07/04/2022 05:07 PM

    Another great article- “Happy Independence Day”. Many good points, including the paragraph on the first Amendment. You are correct when you state “separation of church and state” is not in our constitution. I find it interesting that phrase WAS included in a constitution at one time- Article 53 of the Constitution of the defunct USSR. See where it got them! Thanks Mike.

  • Joy Berner

    07/04/2022 04:28 PM

    Thank you, Gov. Huckabee. Some truths should be repeated again and again as your tribute to the Fourth of July does so well. May God hold off His judgment on our nation and grant us mercy during these dark days of Democrat rule. What a shame these forces of evil have brought upon our nation and misleading so many, especially the young.

    Yes, may God have mercy on America.

  • Betty Rayha

    07/04/2022 03:54 PM

    Thank you for reminding us what we are blessed to have here. We are in a very bad place right now, with too many trying to change our country. So many try to get her legally and most are pleased to live here. Anyone who came here for a better life and now is trying to tear this country apart, should be sent back where they came from. Love it or leave it. There is hope for this country to turn around but we must all humble ourselves and beg God to save us from ourselves.

  • Valerie Wehmueller

    07/04/2022 03:52 PM

    I love your posts today, this one especially & the one about Sybil Ludington. Thank you.

  • Maria Zayac

    07/04/2022 03:51 PM

    Beautiful! Thank you ????????

  • Forest Myers

    07/04/2022 03:50 PM

    Our problem with people not understanding of the basic rights and responsibilities begins with our education system. University professors that have required their own values to supersede the moral and cultural values established by God and provided to us in the Bible have deeply damaged the moral integrity of our great country. We desperately need to return to the wisdom of God’s guidance. Thank you for giving God first recognition for all that we have.

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