You Should Invest in Liberty!

Samuel Adams made this clarion call to patriotism:

If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.

Many people donate to charities and churches, but fewer think about other worthy causes such as the preservation of individual liberty. After the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one of the most important causes today, in my humble opinion is the cause of freedom and liberty. In the United States, it entails upholding the Anglo-American common law tradition, enshrined in the Bill of Rights which limits government encroachment upon our rights. For this reason, you should consider investing in liberty if you have the means.

Now, how exactly does one invest in liberty? Well, first that would entail staying informed, keeping others informed, as well as speaking out against encroachments against our liberties and making your voice heard to political leaders and the rest of the world. But also, a more effective way to invest in liberty is to support pro-liberty groups, whether educational in nature, or those specializing in legal advocacy.

John Adams reminds us, "Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people." Sadly, most Americans are horribly illiterate on basic civics, and are incompetent about the Bill of Rights. We're talking eighth-grade civics, which seems to hard for the average American to master or recollect. Obviously, ignorance is our adversary as well. As Jefferson judiciously surmised, "The people of every country are the only safe guardians of their own rights, and are the only instruments which can be used for their destruction. And certainly they would never consent to be so used were they not deceived. To avoid this they should be instructed to a certain degree."

Our system of criminal justice is adversarial, meaning that both sides, the state and the defense present their case in a criminal matter. What is more victims of state injustice can plead with the courts for injunctive relief against illegal asset forfeiture, illegal takings in violation of the Fifth Amendment, police harassment, and on-going police entrapment schemes. Many people who have their liberties threatened today are victimized by their own government. Ironically, the government is strangely tasked with protecting life, liberty, and property. Yet one of the biggest threats to life, liberty, and property is government.

As Madison said in Federalist #51,

Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.

Many of those auxiliary precautions, such as the Bill of Rights, the Anglo-American common law tradition, the separation of powers, and the doctrine of enumerated powers, have all been steadily eroded over the years. As Jefferson observed, "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground."

Public-interest law firms and advocates stand sometimes as the lone defenders of the citizen and individual. Ambition must be made to counter ambition! This is why we must invest in liberty, because the government's resources are quite sizable. Many victims of the police state and constitutional usurpation lack the financial means to secure the legal counsel necessary to wage their legal battle for freedom. They need help! More important, for society at large, by helping the one little guy, by standing up against bad precedents and usurpations of the Constitution, we're drawing our line in the sand, putting the ramparts around liberty and fortifying ourselves. In doing so, we are defending against further encroachments against our freedom. We must be pro-active in this battle!

With the absence of competent legal counsel, the little guy simply gets steamrolled over in many cases. This is why it's important that you consider investing in liberty, if you are able-bodied, working, and have the means.

Don't let the sun set on liberty in our life time! Take a stand for freedom! Please invest in liberty. How about a $100 annual contribution at a minimum to one of these pro-liberty groups and public-interest law firms?

• Alliance Defense Fund

• The Institute for Justice


• Liberty Counsel


• The Rutherford Institute