Part III: Our Founding Fathers Shared Cicero's Vision for a Republic and Laws Based on the Natural Law of the Supreme Creator
What a miracle our Constitution represents and why we are a nation ruled by laws and not men.
9.24.2009
Written by Russ Magarity
Edited by Chris Janelli
Howdy Folks,
More on America’s Founding Fathers and their Constitutional legacy.
"The founders warned against a number of temptations, which might lure subsequent generations to abandon their freedoms and their rights by subjecting themselves to a strong federal administration, operating on the collectivist left. They warned against the welfare state where the government endeavors to take care of everyone from the cradle to the grave."
Thomas Jefferson wrote, “If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy.”
In addition, they warned against confiscatory taxation and deficit spending. Again Jefferson wrote, “…it was immoral for one generation to pass on the results of its extravagance in the form of debts to the next generation….we shall all consider ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity with our debts, and morally bound to pay them ourselves and consequently within what may be deemed the period of a generation, or the life expectancy of the majority."
The founders also warned that the only way for a nation to prosper was to have equal protection of "rights" and not allow the government to get involved in trying to provide for equal distribution of anything. It was Sam Adams the lawyer, who particularly was concerned about the pooling of property and clearly fought against utopian schemes, such as socialism and communism where the leveling or redistribution of wealth or centralization of ownership of the means of production and distribution are "as visionary and impractical as those which vest all property in the Crown, and in our government unconstitutional."
There was also great discussion on how to avoid leaning too far to the left or the right, and to maintain the balance for which they so fought. The answer then and the answer today is widespread education. Again Jefferson wrote, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be….. To that end, we have failed. It is why the poor remain poor and enslaved.”
In my research I recently came across an article about those that remain in poverty in our nation and why. Like in the ACORN example, although the article was using the Democratic Party, I am sure the Republicans are equally to blame; they appear to be the champion of the underdog, the underprivileged, and unrepresented, but the reality is when one looks at the strongholds of poverty you find dysfunctional families, exploitation by the very people that supposedly are looking out for them, and NO Education. They are kept down by their Masters. This indeed is slavery and unfortunately can be interpreted as racist given the results even if white on white or black on black.
Wake Up America, if we spent 1/10th of what we are spending on all of this other crap we could fix this. But I digress.
The First Principal of the Founding Fathers was the belief that the only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations was to be found in Natural Law.
The person that was able to articulate this best was Marcus Tullius Cicero. In the roster of great political thinkers, Cicero is high on the list. He lived from 106 to 43 BC studying law as a Roman and philosophy in Athens. His considerable personal courage opposing the drift toward dictatorship, even if based on popular support, landed him in exile in spite of his holding the highest office of the state as Roman Consul. But it was out of these political experiences that he wrote "The Republic" and "The Laws."
In these writings Cicero projected the grandeur and promise of some future society based on Natural Law, and the Founding Fathers shared his vision. According to Cicero, Natural Law was nothing more or nothing less than recognizing and identifying the rules of "the right conduct" with the laws of the Supreme Creator of the universe. There is a “presupposition here in that it is man's reasoning power that is a special dispensation of the Creator and is closely a kin to the rational or reasoning power to the Creator himself. This means that the Law of Nature or Nature's God is eternal in its basic goodness; it is universal in its application. It cannot be altered. It cannot be repealed. It cannot be abandoned by legislators or the people themselves, even though they may pretend to do so…..It is akin to the great Commandments, the first of which is ‘Thou shalt love thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.'"
So for Cicero, "the glue which holds a body of human beings together in the commonwealth of a just society is love - - love of God; love of God's great law of Justice; and love of one's fellow man." Likewise, legislation in violation of God's Natural Law is a scourge to humanity.
The Founders embraced these teachings with the obvious necessity to building a society that was both highly moral and virtuous; a civilization built on freedom for the individual and prosperity for the whole commonwealth. That is why there are so many "inalienable rights" grounded in Natural Law in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence where God has endowed us with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some examples of Natural Law influence would be Habeas Corpus, Limited Government, Checks and Balances, Self Preservation, Right to Bear Arms, and No Taxation Without Representation.
The next installment will address the 2nd Principal: A Free people cannot survive under the Republican Constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.
Good night
Your humble writer, Russ
About Russ Magarity
Jackson, Wyoming Distressed Patriot Russell Magarity and Chris Janelli, Chief Distressed Patriot, have been business associates and close friends since working together at Chase Manhattan Asia in Hong Kong. Russ grew up in Cuba and Panama and graduated from High School in Peru. He received a BA in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma (Norman), an M.B.A. from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara (Mexico), and a Masters in International Management (with Distinction) from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird).
Russ spent his career with Chase running countries and managing corporate finance businesses in Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong and throughout SE Asia. Prior to joining Chase, he served in the US Navy for 9 years first as a Midshipman and Naval Aviator. As a carrier pilot, he served 3 tours in Vietnam and flew over 250 missions.
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1/17/2010
Am looking for 3 examples of Natural Law. Can't find them. Can you help? The described appeal to Cicero does not list even one, just the resulting principle to love God. Lots of resulting principles, but not one, nor three exampls of natural law. I am not sure what he was referring to. Your's is the last of 5 web sites I've visited, looking for examples, finding none. Thus, tired of the failure to find examples, I am leaving this request with you, and not singling you out.
The appeal to natural law is accomodating but with no examples, missing its foundation. Or do I read something blatantly wrong that is in fact a generous common law on this site and the others?
If I do, then I presume others do too.
66.182.92.144
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