A recent letter to the editor, “the Biggest American Lie,” was right on when they insinuated certain groups like diligent teachers, conscientious ministers, and loving parents were unknowingly facilitating a fraud upon the public by promoting the lie, “America is a democracy.”

A democracy was never mentioned in our Declaration of Independence nor in the Constitution, for the Framers and our first four presidents, Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, and Madison, believe it was fatal to good government, law and order, respect for authority, property rights, religion and liberty, and would eventually lead to chaos and tyranny. When Benjamin Franklin was asked by a lady after the Constitutional convention, what have we got, a democracy or a monarchy? Franklin replied, “a republic, if you can keep it.”

The Founders believed in the Declaration of Independence which declared, men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights to life, liberty, and property, and their constitutional liberties should never be violated by an unrestrained majority or even a king. To protect those individual rights, the Framers submitted a declaration with these precise words, we the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution, a government of law, not of men, a republic, not a democracy.

The principles set forth in this new republic form of government indicated there would be equal justice under the law for both rulers and individuals, and it would be strong enough to secure our rights against domestic and foreign oppression, but not so powerful or extensive to become oppressive. Benjamin Franklin understood the necessity for our Second amendment as protection against a tyrannical government when he defined a democracy “as two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch, and liberty, a well-armed lamb contesting their vote.”

William L. Emick

Williamsport

Submitted via Virtual Newsroom