These communities, by their representatives in old Independence Hall, said to the whole world of men: “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.” This was their majestic interpretation of the economy of the Universe. This was their lofty, and wise, and noble understanding of the justice of the Creator to His creatures. [Applause.] Yes, gentlemen, to all His creatures, to the whole great family of man. In their enlightened belief, nothing stamped with the Divine image and likeness was sent into the world to be trodden on, and degraded, and imbruted by its fellows. They grasped not only the whole race of man then living, but they reached forward and seized upon the farthest posterity. They erected a beacon to guide their children and their children’s children, and the countless myriads who should inhabit the earth in other ages. Wise statesmen as they were, they knew the tendency of prosperity to breed tyrants, and so they established these great self-evident truths, that when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up the doctrine that none but rich men, or none but white men, were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, their posterity might look up again to the Declaration of Independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began—so that truth, and justice, and mercy, and all the humane and Christian virtues might not be extinguished.
Abraham Lincoln, August 17, 1858
Brilliant:
2…equal strength, you’re not really ‘pro-freedom;’ you’re only anti-slavery.” And they imply that to be “only anti-slavery” is not enough.
Now imagine it is the late 1930s. As a recent German Catholic immigrant you are horrified at what you hear from family and…
4…when you talk like this, you’re not pro-peace; you’re just anti-Hitler.” And they imply that it’s not enough to be anti-Hitler, even when news of the atrocities of Nazi Germany spread all over the world.
Now, finally, suppose you are a Catholic today…
6….you’re just anti-abortion.” Again, the implication is that this doesn’t count.
Unique evils require unique opposition. We used to understand this. Someday, when history has judged us for allowing this evil for so long, we will again. Till then: be strong. #MarchForLife
I saw two signs held up during the walk:
One was a NO UTURN road sign.
One was handwritten, saying that a brain can be just a clump of cells.