Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Independence Day

Today is July 4, our nation's two-hundred and thirty-first birthday.

In 231 years our nation has withstood every obstacle that has been handed.

Each year, I look at the obstacles that have tested our nation's strength and endurance our ability to thrive under change and crisis. From our fight for freedom and the war at home, to the Great Depression and World War II, to the Civil Rights Era to the constitutional crisis that was Watergate, somehow we have come out the other end better and stronger as a nation.

This year, after six years of watching Bush and Cheney showing not only complete disregard for human life in their blood for oil war in Iraq, not only the complete disregard the well being of Americans though their tax breaks for only the wealthiest 1%, but for also our civil rights. In just six years, these two men have all but said that we are the law, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Rule of Law, and Government of the People, for the People, and by the People be damned though the acts of spying on Americans without a warrant or a court order, suspending Habeas Corpus disguised as a bill that will protect the American people, and turning our justice system into a partisan freakshow for an Administration to get away with any crime they have committed, I ask myself: how the fuck did it come to this?

How is it that after 231 years, that our way of life is threated by two businessmen cloaked as the President and the Vice-President who are selling out this country for profit?

How is that we told off King George when he treated our nation like dog shit, but keep silent about the reckless abuse of power coming from the White House?
This Independence Day, I say, we as Americans need to re-examine our history, and our rights as Americans and ask ourselves this question: do we let our elected officials continue to further abuse our laws and our nation, or do we in one united, loud voice reclaim our dignity and our rights and say, 'enough is enough!'?

This is the choice we must make alone.

Good night, and good luck.

2 comments:

Sergei Andropov said...

Wow. Very articulately phrased.

Anonymous said...

I could not agree more Jonathan. I went out and watched the neighbors fireworks and 2 things crossed my mind.

1. Where did they get the money that used to pay for all of their fireworks?

2. If they had any idea the real reason why they were lighting off a thousand dollars worth of fire works they would demand their leaders head on a platter.