I’ll sometimes receive a text message containing links to a Twitter page with some sort of amusing picture or video. Yielding to the morbid curiosity that draws our eyes to a car wreck, I’ll scroll down to read what people on Twitter are saying. This is always a mistake.

It’s an ugly business, wading into that venomous current of rage and loathing. Sometimes the temptation to respond to a particularly clueless post is almost overwhelming but then I’ll feel the eye of Mordor turn its gaze on me, and I know that no good can come of it. They are legion.

It’s easy to feel a little disheartened after one of those forays into the nether regions of social media. Like catching a glimpse of the Devil himself out of the corner of your eye. You begin to understand that there is very little common ground left to form the basis for rational debate. Emotion rules the day. “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” no longer has a place in the American dialogue. The left has little tolerance for what you say and even less for your right to say it. Americana’s broad fellowship is gone. And there’s the rub.

If somewhere near half the country no longer subscribes to our society’s morality and foundational structure, it’s hard to imagine what binds us together as a nation. These are irreconcilable differences and the grounds for an expedited divorce. But divorces are often ugly and as we have already learned, they can be very costly in both blood and treasure.

Our last attempt at separation was along clearly defined geographical lines. There is no such luxury this time. The divisions run through every aspect of our lives and our enemies, foreign and domestic, constantly poke and prod them. No one can say what a divorce of this nature would look like and we probably don’t want to find out.

An American renaissance is still possible, though, using our heritage for guidance. This country was built by and for the individual. It is through the individual’s strength and steadfast faith in God that it can be saved.

We can start by saying no to the now commonplace and outrageous unconstitutional mandates. While much of the Bill of Rights has gone dark (people are still in solitary confinement nine months after January 6), there is still enough of it left for a campaign of civil disobedience based on our constitutional rights.

The First Amendment protects our right to peaceably assemble. If government mandates say we can’t leave our homes or gather in groups, we are justified if we simply ignore them. Our God-given rights are preeminent. The Constitution has no clause suspending it during times of national emergency. If anything, it was meant for such occasions.

The government and social media, now joined at the hip (as Jen Psaki explained), have now made themselves the arbiters of appropriate speech. Constitutionally, however, there is no such thing as “appropriate speech.” They may delete us off Twitter and other platforms but, though they may try, they can’t stop us from talking or control what we’re saying.

The press has renounced its obligations, so the individual must pick up the slack. The very idea that the government may oppose our beliefs and therefore want to silence us via censorship provides all the incentive we need to make sure our views are heard. The government is violating the Constitution. We are justly asserting our rights.

The Fourth Amendment guarantees our right to be secure in our persons, houses, papers, and effects. All people must follow their consciences as to whether they get vaccinated—but it is none of the government’s business either way. The browbeating and financial coercion that is happening today are as un-American as they are unconstitutional.

The Bill of Rights was enacted to restrain the government. It establishes that our rights extend far beyond the Constitution’s express statements. We are a free people. Only if each of us repudiates the encroachments on our liberties can we can turn back the tide of insanity that now threatens our country. This can be a lonely and fearful business but perhaps not as bad as crossing the American frontier or fighting at the Alamo.

These are just a few examples showing how individuals can make a difference by refusing to cooperate with our government’s unconstitutional conduct. They can’t put us all in jail. At least not yet. But if we continue down this road it won’t be long before they can do that and much worse. Just ask the Chinese.

Responding to all the madness on Twitter won’t make a dollar’s worth of difference but refusing to cooperate with unlawful edicts and mandates is how we can start on the long journey toward taking back our country. Resistance is not futile and it can be contagious.

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