This holiday season, I've used my downtime to reflect on the events of the past year.  We have much to be thankful for, despite the issues we've faced.  We are all recipients of God's blessings.  Those blessings include our God-given rights as enshrined in our Constitution.  But events of the past year have shown us to be on a dangerous path.  Men with small minds seem determined to challenge the gifts granted us by our maker.

One such gift is the right to express ourselves.  It was famously depicted by Norman Rockwell in his painting, "Freedom of Speech."  The painting became world-famous when it was used on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in February of 1943.  It depicted a lone man, still in his dirty clothes from a hard day at work, standing up to local city officials to express his disagreement with their plans.  The painting is a powerful statement.  In America, every citizen, regardless of social status, has a right to be heard and treated with courtesy and respect.

How would Norman Rockwell have depicted 2021?  Would the lone speaker be standing tall and confident, knowing that he would suffer no retribution for his words?  Or would the artist somehow depict his emotions, knowing that he is placing himself at great personal risk of being canceled from his livelihood and social associations?

If the painting were done in 2021, would the police be handcuffing the speaker?  The past twelve months have shown that daring to speak "truth to power" can get one charged with creating a public disturbance — even in a forum created to entertain dissenting voices.

In a modern-day version of the painting, would the speaker be surrounded by fellow citizens listening respectfully to his words?  Or would Mr. Rockwell find a way to depict him surrounded by FBI informants?

Would our speaker find himself under investigation by the DoJ?  He is challenging government authority.  Haven't we been told that such actions are seditious — essentially calls to insurrection?

How would Rockwell artistically represent that the speaker's own government would "threat tag" him as a potential domestic terrorist in its tracking database?  In 21st-century America, our government collects, organizes, and shares information on such subversives.

No modern-day depiction of freedom of speech would be complete without a mob of black-clad, club-wielding youths waiting for the speaker outside the building.  In modern America, wrongthink must be corrected.  Antifa and BLM stand ready to render such lessons — with the tacit approval of our government.

Our freedom of speech is not granted by our government or our Constitution.  It is granted by our maker.  Our Constitution prescribes that our government is to protect our freedom.  It's safe to say that our government has strayed from that mission.  We have been slow to see the threat to our liberties and allowed the left to infiltrate our institutions.

• Education
• Government bureaucracy
• Media
• Law enforcement
• Medicine

But our eyes are open now, and a reckoning is approaching.  The left is playing with forces it does not understand.  Many have tried to suppress our rights in the past.  All have failed.  American patriots have always refused subjugation.  Do leftists really think they can succeed this time with an army of pajama boys — who need to retreat to the nearest safe space every time they read a mean tweet?  Or perhaps the left thinks the military will be agreeable with the oppression of Americans.  That would be the same military that is more focused on Critical Race Theory and transgender issues than combat readiness.  Good luck with that.

Unintended consequences are usually just unforeseen consequences.  When people with small minds and great ambition lack the foresight to see the consequences of their actions, things happen that they don't expect.  Leftists needs to stop for a moment and give their actions some serious thought.  If they would rather oppress than debate us, the consequences may not be what they expect.

John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho.  He currently writes at the American Free News Network (afnn.us).  He can be followed on Facebook or reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.

Image: PxHere.