One of my Facebook friends who is a human rights activist
posted the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence on her FB page a
few days before Independence Day. That's
all she posted - just one sentence. It
was elegant in its simplicity and eloquent in its truth.
Of course, as is the case when you are a public figure and
have almost 5000 FB friends like she does, there are always people who feel the
need to critique everything. I found it
a little astonishing. These are the words my friend posted:
"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."
After these immortal words of our founding fathers - these
words that created a nation that would go on to become the greatest in the
history of the planet, Michelle felt the need to comment: "Now make this
apply to BLACK PEOPLE."
Debbi wrote: "I wish it said humans not men."
Susanna posted:
"Yes- women are NOT included in that statement."
And David thought that rather than say humans or men - it
should say "all Earthlings are created equal." (which I’m sure would generate angry alien
discrimination posts from Martian and Venutian Facebook users…)
So - FB people -
let's go back in time and travel to Philadelphia in 1776. Let's talk to Jefferson and Franklin and the
founding fathers and try to straighten them out. Let's try to enlighten them about what the
terms Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered mean - tell them that their
declaration was a good try - but they need to bump it up a notch. "All LGBT and straight and sexually
ambiguous Earthlings of all genders, races, religions, belief systems, colors,
and lifestyles - and vegans and the lactose
and gluten intolerant and all those who prefer Macs over PCs and those who
enjoy reruns of Mr. Ed as well as those who prefer to watch Scandal, and Red
Bull users and those who like 5 hour
energy, etc, etc… are created equal.”
The Declaration of Independence will be 532 pages long - but it will offend almost no one.
Let's talk to them about the repeal of DOMA - and that now
Tom and Ben can be legally married in the United States of America. Can you see Benjamin Franklin's face turning red and his eyes bulging out under his little wire-rim glasses at this
thought?
Back when the Declaration of Independence was penned and
signed in 1776 - the language that was used was extremely liberal, open-minded,
and boundary-bursting verbiage. To say that all men are created equal… and that
all men have inborn, God-given rights to liberty and life - it challenged the
way things had been done...
FOREVER! And if that wasn't
enough - the danger of writing such revolutionary words took them deeper and
deeper into treason against the King. They were basically writing their own
death warrant. Without their courage and total commitment - where would this
country be today?
I have some thoughts for these self-appointed Facebook
critics. Boys and girls, we can't go back
and rewrite the Declaration in current terms... but we don't need to. The principles are the same - whether you
live in 1776 or 2013. It's our job to
take responsibility and to act on the spirit of the words and the courage of
the men who wrote them. How can we apply
these remarkable principles to our lives with gratitude for how far we've been
able to come because of those beginnings? And what will the courage of Jefferson, Franklin and all the signers of the Declaration inspire us to do, to help make this a fair and equal country for everyone?
"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."
