Nothing to hide--but ignorance
3/28/2006 8:23:00 AM
By Rhonda Robinson
What would you do if a police officer came to your door and said that he had a report that your teenager is an avid pot smoker?
"I don't have anything against you folks raising a couple of teenagers; as long as you keep it legal. I would like to see the boy's room-- if you don't mind."
Confident that you have absolutely nothing to hide; would you let him in?
After all, you're proud of your son. Why not let him in? You will shine as a parent, and your son's name will be cleared. You have nothing to hide, and you certainly don't want this officer to think that you do.
Do you let him in?
What about a social worker? A social worker comes to the door. "I have a complaint that your children are not being well fed-I need to come in and examine your children, inventory your refrigerator, and see all of your grocery receipts for the last month."
Your children are well fed. And besides, you just went shopping so the cabinets are stocked and the refrigerator is still full.
Why not let her in? She seems nice; and you will shine as a parent. After all, you have nothing to hide, and certainly don't want this social worker to think that you do.
Do you let her in?
There are avid pot smokers alive and well living and smoking in central Illinois. There are also far too many people who neglect their children living here as well. In order to fight these crimes, should the authorities have free reign to come into your home?
Police officers, social workers, and school authorities all carry some weight of responsibility for our protection. They also carry the authority of the state. This authority, as all authority, has a tendency to be abused, and is always seeking to expand.
No one wants to see guilty criminals get off on a "technicality" at the same time; we have to guard our rights to privacy. It is the line those technicalities draw that separates us from an oppressive government system.
The founding fathers used both the Greek model of democracy and the Roman model of a republic as a basis for our "experiment in freedom."
Under the Greek model of freedom, where the majority ruled, Plato believed and taught that it was imperative to have an educated populace in order for freedom to thrive. They had to be informed of the laws, and educated enough to know a good law from a bad law, so the people would know how to vote. Without this knowledge, he believed, the people would easily give up their freedoms, and fall under the rule of tyrants.
If you have nothing to hide; why hide? Why look guilty?
On the surface this seems reasonable. But we are missing the central idea that in America, citizens are always to be presumed innocent, and their home is private; free from state intrusion. The state should always be held in check. This delicate balance is what creates freedom.
We are so busy; we fail to educate ourselves and are left to rely on news sound bites for information. Our schools barely skim over our constitutional rights, let alone the reasons they are so important.
Woodrow Wilson said, "Nothing makes America great except her thoughts, except her ideas, except her acceptance of those standards of judgment which are written large upon these pages of revelation... America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelation of the Holy Scripture."
Civil freedom can only be held so long as the vast majority of its citizenry is educated, self governed and moral.
And yet, our State Board of Education has just lowered the math requirements to allow another 32,000 eighth-grade students to meet the state's math standards, and the governors office has gay activists and anti-Semitic's as members on the Hate Crimes Commission.
Perhaps Benjamin Franklin's wisdom of yesterday, should be considered a warning for us today, when he said, "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As the nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
 Rhonda Robinson has spent the last 18 years in grade school, as a homeschooling mother of nine. She and her husband of 29 years live in Douglas County in central Illinois.
Visit Rhonda's BLOG on IFI's website to read more of her disarming humor and thoughtful insight.
You can contact Rhonda via email: mothering_9@msn.com
Support the work of IFI for your family and community
 We must continue, now more than ever, to champion immutable moral principals and take a strong stand for traditional values. IFI will continue to expose the lies of the Left, and speak out in favor of timeless values and dependable conservative ideals.
If you believe in the mission and purpose of Illinois Family Institute, please send your most generous contribution to IFI today. IFI is supported by voluntary donations from individuals like you across the state of Illinois. Donations to IFI are tax deductible.
Illinois Family Institute
799 W. Roosevelt Road
Building 3, Suite 208
Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137
You may also give online by clicking HERE.
(All gifts to IFI are tax-deductible.)
E-mail this article to a friend | Printer friendly format
|
 |
|
| |
|
Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188
Phone: (708) 781-9328
Fax: (708) 781-9376
Evil men don't understand the importance of justice,
but those who follow the Lord are much concerned about it.
~Proverbs 28:5
(NKJV)
|
