What does it mean to live in a place of relative peace, health, and safety? The United States is far from perfect. Depending on location, the cost of living can be very expensive. Americans often risk being shunned (or worse) if they identify with the “wrong” political ideology. Some young Americans feel obliged to borrow $100,000+ for a college degree even when they may not have any idea what they want to do for the rest of their working lives. But even with those issues, the U.S. is still a wonderful place to live thanks in large part to the many veterans who have served. They have been defending the U.S. for hundreds of years. Soldiers take an oath that they “will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” 1Because of their sacrifice, we are militarily unconquered, politically self-governing, and economically wealthy. It is no wonder why so many people around the world want to immigrate here. Put simply, a person has rights in America which might not otherwise be protected by law in their home country: free speech, religious liberty, private property, self-defence, and even life itself.
In America, we can sometimes take for granted our use of elections in determining our nation’s political future. How would you like to live under the rule of the strong, where a powerful elite decide our fate regardless of our rights? It does not sound enjoyable to me. Even though tyranny is possible in a constitutional republic, it is far more likely to happen in a system with no elections at all. Politics is about power, and how that power is allocated can make all the difference in whether a person’s basic human rights will be respected and enforced. When politics is reduced to a contest of brute force and cunning, one’s political intentions do not matter––they must only have the comparatively stronger force. Under the rule of the strong, might makes right and bullets are greater than ballots.
Fortunately, the United States is different and has what is called the rule of law, which means that “all persons, institutions, and entities are accountable to laws,” and that those laws should be publicly enacted, “[e]qually enforced,” impartially judged, and “consistent with international human rights principles.” 2When the rule of law is ignored, there can be disastrous results. American history shows this. It was the rule of law that was violated when black Americans were lynched in the South during the Reconstruction period. The rule of law was ignored when violent racists—like members of the Ku Klux Klan— punished blacks (and whites who associated with blacks) for “crimes” they did not commit. Ida B. Wells, an investigative journalist who risked her life in order to report on these lynchings, recognized the threat they posed to life and liberty, advising that “the Winchester rifle deserved a place of honor in every Black home.” 3Wells recognized that free citizens must be willing to fight and defend in order to ensure preservation of their rights.
On the world stage, the U.S. is no different. There are people abroad who literally want “death to America.” 4In order for freedom to be preserved, “all enemies, foreign and domestic” must understand that they will not be able to get away unscathed if they harm the U.S. The potential of retaliatory destruction is the deterrent.
This potential military threat, of course would ideally never come to fruition as everyone would recognize the rights of others. Fundamentally, however, different cultures’ definitions and treatment of human rights differ vastly depending on a variety of factors. That is unfortunately the world we live in. The difficult truth is that there will always be evil people around who will continue to violate the rights of other human beings until the point where God Himself puts an end to it. We should be careful, lest our government engage in those violations. Until then, it is critical that innocent human lives are defended. Regardless of a person’s position on topics such as human rights or justice, one must acknowledge the sanctity of human life. That is why we owe such a debt of gratitude to our fellow Ameri cans who serve and have served in the armed forces. They put their lives on the line on a regular basis so that you and I can live in peace, raise families, and pursue the American Dream.
It can be easy to take for granted that we have unprecedented levels of prosperity in this nation. But, without national defence there would be no protections for private property rights, since any hostile nation could easily overpower even armed individual citizens and seize their property. The government is also needed to prevent theft between citizens. With those protections in place, the creation of wealth is tremendously helped, and we all benefit as a result. Some may benefit more than others, but this inequality is permissible since it is done through peaceful, mutually beneficial transactions, as opposed to violent, unilaterally-beneficial forced exchanges. The difference between work and slavery is consent. Our military heroes keep enemies away so that we can continue to pursue wealth through means other than slavery. Some Adventists in the military may choose to be conscientious objectors like Desmond Doss; others may not. Neither kind should be ashamed so far as they each choose to adhere to their own conscience.
Our brave men and women of every background who have died in the struggle of freedom against tyranny are to be honored—from Crispus Attucks (the first American to die in the Revolutionary War), to Abraham Lincoln, to countless others, military and civilian. Former President Ronald Reagan described the situation well when he asserted, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” 5Our military heroes have done their part to make sure that the blessings of freedom did not die in their respective generations. Let our generation take note and have the courage to do our part. God bless America.
Works Cited
1) Oath of Enlistment. (2019, May 4). Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://www. army.mil/values/oath.html.
2) Overview Rule of Law. (2019, July 7). Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://al-resources/educational-activities/overview-rule-law.
3) Johnson, N. (2014, January 24). Negroes and the Gun: A Winchester in every Black home. . Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https:// www.washingtonpost.com/ news/volokh-conspiracy/ wp/2014/01/29/negroes-andthe-gun-a-winchester-in-every-black-home/.
4) Taylor, A. (2015, February 12). The history of ‘Death to America’. Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://www. washingtonpost.com/news/ worldviews/wp/2015/02/18/ the-history-of-death-to-america.
5) Reagan, R. (2019, June 19). Ronald Reagan Quotes. Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://www.brainyquote. com/quotes/ronald_reagan_183965.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.