A Nation's Strength

“...her decks all bloody and her tattered flag still flying.”

The above is a partial quote from Rabble in Arms by Kenneth Roberts, one of the great historical novels of all times. It’s about the Revolutionary War and the quote is in reference of an American ship doing battle with a British one, and eventually emerging with the victory. The phrase has always been extraordinarily evocative for me.

This nation has had her decks bloodied many times, and not been brought to the point of hauling down her flag yet. The FISA assault on her constitution is not going to cause that either.

Certainly it is true that passage of the FISA bill is no cause for celebration, but let’s everybody draw a deep breath and regroup here. The bill hardly “eviscerates” the fourth amendment. The government still cannot open my mail, it cannot directly tap my telephone, it cannot search my home or my person. In due course, this bill will be reversed, as have all other laws and amendments that have unreasonably restricted freedom. That is the nature of this country.

Voices have spoken out against infringement of liberty in the past and they are doing so now. It just takes time for those voices to be heard. They will be heard; they always have. They will rise in volume and will be joined by more voices until the shout of freedom drowns out the cacophony of fear.

We have come through wars great and small, rebellions great and small, treasons great and trivial, and assaults on our constitution in more than one manner. We have survived fires, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, pestilences and famines. We have known prosperity and we have survived great economic depression.

We’ve done all that, and our “tattered flag is still flying.”