Some days ago, I was shocked to see a church sign that read, "Our rights come from God, not from government." Nothing could be further from the truth.

God may have breathed life into your body, but he gave you no more rights than he gave a slave that lives life in captivity. Life does not equate to freedom.

Many humans were born into slavery and died in slavery.

As Benjamin Franklin said, your rights come from the "consent of government." In specific, your rights came from the establishment of a new government seeking to expand the rights of Americans that were limited under King George.

Your rights as an American were bought with the blood of patriots and the suffering of many wars in succeeding generations.

Your rights are sustained not by a single sheet of paper containing grand ideas, but by a military funded by government and consisting of our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers, and "our best and brightest" who fight to sustain those rights.

You may thank God for your life, but you must thank our government and citizens in uniform for your freedom!

Gifts from God may be free, but freedom is never free.

To ensure your freedoms are protected, participate in your government by going to the polls and voting for your candidate of choice. It is not only your right; it is your duty.

Dr. Ken Meredith

Florence