A People of Honor and Valor

At October 2008 Conference President of the Quorum of The Twelve Apostles Elder Boyd K Packer shares these and more words about Liberty in "The Test":

The Lord told them, “I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose.” 11
And in another verse, the Lord told them that “it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.” 12 They were therefore antislavery. This was a very sore spot with the settlers in Missouri.
And so on that day of celebration in 1849, “Elder Phineas Richards came forward in behalf of the twenty-four aged sires, and read their loyal and patriotic address.” 13 He spoke of the need for them to teach patriotism to their children and to love and honor freedom. After he briefly recited the perils that they had come through, he said:
“Brethren and friends, we who have lived to three-score years, have beheld the government of the United States in its glory, and know that the outrageous cruelties we have suffered proceeded from a corrupted and degenerate administration, while the pure principles of our boasted Constitution remain unchanged. …
“… As we have inherited the spirit of liberty and the fire of patriotism from our fathers, so let them descend [unchanged] to our posterity.” 14

We still need to study and understand the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution as The Lord, thru his prophets Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and on to Thomas S Monson have told us to do. This is the extent of my morning scripture and spiritual studies today. Please refer to 2 Nephi 13 for some ample reason to do these things.

This article by Ezra Taylor is something to consider today when our government is about making more laws, designed by select groups of men with no Constitutional authority to make laws, that rob citizens of their liberties and responsibilities save they follow the current powers that be. That some laws are designed to conflict with other laws as weapons against political adversaries just complicates the choices that honest God fearing men would make. I am sure that to act as Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednigo did you need to be similarly righteous as they to expect The Lord's intervention. Also there are those innocent of sin such as Abinadi who suffered a nobel death rather than blaspheme against God.

Now is not a time to rationalize disobedience but to closely obey God. As Abraham choose to follow God and be a model citizen and a friend to neighbors. We are a chosen people for this time and are valiant if we call on God and obey God's laws. We to can Choose Liberty and serve mankind as Patrick Henry, Abinadi and Joseph Smith have so valiantly done in our past.
I found this quote and info at Wikepedia :

Give me Liberty, or Give me Death!" is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Virginia Convention. It was given on March 23, 1775, at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, and is credited with having swung the balance in convincing the Virginia House of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering the Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War.