Why did I make the Defend Liberty t-shirt?
On the 4th of July my wife usually lets our kids paint some t-shirts to celebrate the holiday. This year, I decided to join in and tried to think of a design that would represent my love of country and dedication to defending the values that make the U.S. great. Along that train of thought, I came up with the logo on this shirt.
Made from freezer paper, an exacto knife, a sponge brush, and black paint.
I used canva.com to design my original idea, printed it out, placed the print out under some freezer paper, traced it with an exacto knife, ironed the stencil into place on the t-shirt, painted it with a sponge brush, and then smiled at the result. (Smiling was the important step!) A number of friends made positive comments about the design and I felt like I had something worth sharing.
So I stayed up til 1am on the night of the 4th of July and made THIS limited edition t-shirt available for purchase to a broader audience.
But why did the idea of “Defend Liberty” matter to me?
For me it’s two reasons: First, I believe the freedoms enjoyed in the U.S. were won through great sacrifice and require continued sacrifices to avoid losing them; second, because of my daughter named Liberty.
I firmly believe the United States is the most amazing country in the world. In this country you have the opportunity to achieve greatness through hard work that is largely unattainable in any other part of the world. That is in part due to the liberties we enjoy here, specifically the freedom to pursue “happiness” as we see it. Here we can challenge old paradigms and create new ideas without fear of government reprisal. Try doing that in North Korea! We can discuss extremely polarized topics that would lead to a civil war in other countries, but here we are able to resolve them without a single military shot being fired. That kind of freedom was won on countless heroic battlefields, inside historic court rooms, using civil disobedience, and during heart stirring political debates. It was won by men and women who dared to challenge what they knew to be wrong. It was won through the loss of life and loved ones. Fields have been flooded by the blood of men and women giving their life up so that we can strive for greatness without oppression. Walking the battlefields of Gettysburg and Fredericksburg recently taught me that. I learned about soldiers walking ankle deep through blood soaked mud to face their enemies. We so easily forget that our current liberties are the result of many successful battles, confrontations, and political conflicts. If we unwittingly forfeit our freedoms, they can only be recovered through a repetition of previous conflict and sacrifice. Will we be the generation that passively surrenders our liberty? I encourage you to remember the conflicts and sacrifices that provide us our current freedoms and be willing to defend them, not necessarily with a revolver like the logo, but in any method that our amazing constitution allows.
Official Defend Liberty T-Shirt
Second, we named our youngest daughter Liberty. I believe that one of the most effective ways for me as a father to defend my daughter, is to defend the values and freedoms that have allowed our country to become so amazing. How do I defend, protect, and provide a great future for my daughter? By actively and willingly defending the rights we’ve received from the sacrifices of those before us; I do that by defending liberty!
Before they run out, you can get your “Defend Liberty” t-shirt HERE. If you know someone that would like a shirt, please share this post with them too.
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