On March 23rd, 1775, Patrick Henry gave a speech at St John’s Church in Richmond Virginia. He concluded that speech with a phrase that has echoed throughout history as a battle cry and a guiding principle, “Give me Liberty, or give me Death!”.
He wasn’t just saying empty words, either. He would go on to lead a militia force in the Gunpowder Incident the next month. The British Royal Marines seized a large cache of gunpowder and attempted to move it to a ship. Henry quickly took command of a local Militia and marched on the British Headquarters in Williamsburg. While a negotiated settlement was reached, it was acknowledged that Henry could have taken Williamsburg if he had wanted to.
I bring this up, because I want to discuss a few more parts of that speech that are lesser known, but equally applicable to the situation we find ourselves in today.
I ask you consider this in the context of the two pieces of Tactical Wisdom from the Ultimate Tactical Handbook that I’m going to share today. The first is among my favorites:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
Before I move back into Patrick Henry, let’s be clear: Forced medical procedures are SLAVERY. Forced home detention for not accepting said forced medical procedures is SLAVERY. Not protesting because the authorities have frightened you out of it is SLAVERY. Clear? Clear.
Back to Patrick Henry:
…It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against the painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts.
This concept is repeated in the Declaration of Independence. We are apt to pretend that somehow things will just get better if we don’t make waves. That if we just “go along to get along” somehow they won’t really force us to do what we don’t want to do.
In our present situation, too many are guilty of this wishful thinking. This also encompasses those who think that some magic “they” is going to ride in on a golden stallion and save the day so that they won’t have to.
…we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated….
Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne.
Man, does any of this sound familiar? President Biden’s speech about national mandates, where he said his patience was wearing thin, was us all being spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne.
Our petitions & remonstrances, namely attempting to exercise our right to petition the government for the redress of grievances by gathering to protest, has indeed produced additional violence and insult in that over 600 people have now been arrested and transported, in some cases, thousands of miles to face trial. For the record, that same behavior is listed in the Declaration.
Abercrombie & Snitch
It’s gotten to the point where the right cannot even attend a protest without hundreds of federal agents descending on the event, intimidating people back onto the couch to watch Netflix.
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary.
Stop me if you’ve hear this one….the left says it all day every day.
But when shall we be stronger? Will it be next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house?
And here comes the part I really wanted to share:
Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by laying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?
Here it is….our own shame. Our lives have grown so soft and so comfortable, that the truth is that all the keyboard warriors who say “Well, when they come to my street, I’ll resist”, are really never going to. They’re going to choose Netflix over Liberty.
It’s what gives rise to the Hopium that Donald Trump, or Gen Flynn, or some audit, or the Tooth Fairy is going to magically push the auto-win button and fix everything, so that we don’t have stop binge-watching the next dystopian series on Netflix and take action ourselves.
Patrick Henry told us all those years ago where choosing to remain comfortable leads…to being bound hand and foot and not being able to resist once you finally decide to. In the Warsaw Ghetto, the Jews finally rose up when they realized that they were going to die anyway. While they put up a valiant fight, they lost in the end because they waited until they were totally disarmed and completely surrounded to fight. We need to stop teaching this as a good story of resistance and start teaching it as a cautionary tale about waiting too long.
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
As winter approaches, most will tempted to not resist or protest at all, because it’s too cold. I even had one guy tell me “fighting season is over”, as if we are foot-mobile only Afghan goat herders with no way through the mountain passes. No, we’re just too comfy and lazy. I’d like that guy to learn about the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Stalingrad.
Why are we so comfortable? Because Netflix (Barack Obama sits on their board, BTW) has turned every show into soft porn to keep you on the couch. We’d rather sit in our living rooms and indulge in a little guilty pleasure than get out and do what is right. That leads us to our second piece of Tactical Wisdom:
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh…
Galatians 5:13a
Bad things are on the horizon. Pretending they aren’t or hoping they’ll just go away are not viable strategies.
Very soon, you will have to decide: Give me Liberty, or Give me Netflix.
I’ll take my lead from Patrick Henry:
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
Joe Dolio is a Marine, Christian, and author of the Tactical Wisdom Series, Personal and Corporate Security Professional. Visit his blog at tactical-wisdom.com