Two hundred fifty years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and now we are engaged in a great war testing whether this nation will endure. You may recognize the words above as an adaptation from the opening line of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. But it applies today, along with other quotes below.
We are in a war, but I do not speak of a current conflict. I speak rather of the ongoing struggle to maintain that spirit of freedom and liberty which gave birth to the freedoms we enjoy and too often take for granted. The battles in this war are those which take place in our minds – and in our very souls.
Those who are motivated by the lust for power, elevated by the corruption and bribery of back-room power brokers, will not be restrained by the laws we make. They will surely find ways to violate the unalienable rights endowed by the Creator. George Washington expressed this saying, “… that no wall of words, that no mound of parchment can be so formed as to stand against the sweeping torrent of boundless ambition on the one side, aided by the sapping current of corrupted morals on the other.” Bad men will not be restrained by good laws.
Noah Webster would chime in at this point. He said, “If the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted…”
Therefore, it is our duty as citizens to be informed voters. Our liberty is secure when informed people elect honest principled public servants. This is why Jefferson wrote to Madison in 1787, “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people … They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.” Maybe this was in Madison’s mind when, twenty-three years later, in 1810 in his State of the Union Address as our 4th President he said, “A well-instructed people alone can be permanently free.”
In closing this letter, I cannot help but think of the blood that was shed to provide the freedoms we enjoy. First and foremost is the blood of Christ which provides forgiveness and glorious liberty to the children of God. May we not forget this because, as Patrick Henry said, “It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.” We must also remember the blood of patriots, from the revolution to now, blood that has upheld our Constitution and refreshed the tree of liberty.
As the next governor of Iowa, I commit myself to honesty and integrity. I commit myself to fight for the freedoms that have been purchased at such a high price.
Therefore, I humbly ask for your support in this campaign and for your vote in the upcoming primary. Whether you vote early or wait until June 2nd, your vote for Brad Sherman for Iowa Governor is appreciated!
