Esther Krasne was 90 years old over twenty years ago. She’s gone and only one of her children is alive and he’s 95. So why is her birthday speech alive and quite relevant?
Esther Krasne was right to protest that despite the Declaration of Independence, all men were NOT created equal. That criticism remains valid. Some people are born with wealth. Some are smarter than others. Some are strong and healthy, others weak and ill. Esther Krasne was only five feet tall, yet her statement was bigger than all of us.
Our founding fathers seem to have meant that all men would be treated equally under the law. That would only apply to men who were over 21 years old and who owned land. What about women? They were not even mentioned in the Constitution.
The second paragraph of the Constitution provides that
“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.”
This all evolves from the philosophy that governments derive their power not from God, but from the consent of the governed. In fact, it appears that Jefferson, Franklin, Madison and Monroe all believed in “Deism” and rejected the Christian beliefs of Virgin Birth, original sin and the Resurrection. Instead, believing in human reason and love.
The Constitution provides that there shall be “No established religion.” This is the basis for the separation of Church and State. Non-Christians should not be subjected to government sponsored religious activities, use of public property for religious services, public Christian prayer or pageantry or display of religious symbols. The effort of the religious right to make our country a “Christian State” should be totally dismissed as unconstitutional and “un-American.”
We are presently at the mercy of a politically Influenced Supreme Court and over sixty Federal Judges appointed through the vetting and influence of the Federalist Society. How did we allow this to happen?
I’m a 92-year-old man and just like Esther Krasne, I have something for you to think about.
Don’t complain about the elderly taking from society and not contributing. We do clog the hospitals and nursing homes and doctors’ offices and hospice facilities, but if you take enough time to listen, we have helpful things to say. Don’t be demeaning. Don’t call us by our first names without permission. Fight to keep the Supreme Court and the right-wing politicians from taking away the rights for which my generation fought to obtain.
Women should have control over their bodies, not old narrow-minded men. Gay people have the right to marriage. Racially mixed marriages are a right and are legal.
Let us work to prevent domination by a majority religious group who call the imposition of their beliefs on the minority, their “religious freedom” and who have no hesitation to violate other’s fundamental human rights. These rights are SELF EVIDENT. ~Lewis