“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

If you are of a certain age, you know these words. Instantly. You either began stumbling along with the quote, or you knew it verbatim. Do not, however, assume that your children know it, or that it is from the Declaration of Independence. Do not assume that they truly understand the words of Thomas Jefferson. Assume instead that they have been told to forget him. That they have been told all the bad things and none of the good.

That quote up there is why. That is why we must fight. We must fight this turning away from the central value that makes us American. That statement is the American Creed. It is what separates our outlook from the others. It is what makes us different. It is what makes us confident. Fair. Unconquerable. Willing to look at our mistakes and do what we can to right them.

The power brokers, scoundrels, and old guard of the swamp tried everything else they could think of to knock us down and they failed. At last, they realized that those words, and the belief they summarize, were the thing that was stronger than any enemy they could throw at us.

And then they began to work to destroy it.

The battle about statues and civil war generals is actually the battle to remove Jefferson. They went after the worst first so they could work their way to him. He is the one they must make us forget so that they can get us to forget that quote.

The battle for atheism is about removing the Creator from that sentence above. Why would an atheist be so offended that you were wasting your time believing? It is your time to waste. Your Happiness to pursue.

They need to remove our beliefs so they can take away that Liberty. So they can, at last, get back to controlling every aspect of our Life.

We are in another war. Don’t doubt it for a second. We are in a war of ideals. Why doesn’t democracy spread to other places? Because you must first believe in that sentence above for it to work.

This is a war of patience. This is a war for the hearts and minds of your children. Our enemies are relying on you to not notice until it is too late. Relying on you to be too busy. Too lazy.

Can your child repeat those words with you? Do they understand why those Rights are so important the way you do? Or, have other people been getting them to believe otherwise?

We are strong as a nation because of those words in our very first document. Strong because we believe those Rights are ours and that nothing—nothing—no man—no enemy—no other country—no bureaucrat—can EVER take them away.

Teach your children. Your nieces and nephews. Do not judge them. Be patient. Be kind. The survival of our Nation depends on it.