Open your eyes
"Those who would sacrifice essential liberties for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
On a hot September day, 19 men carried out an attack that was the catalyst for the destruction of many of the ideals that the United States was founded upon. This country was founded upon the principle that we could provide the guiding light to a world still steeped in oppressive monarchies, and show it the power of Democracy. To be a shining example in a world where rights were still determined by the whims of those in power. To show that every man and woman has the unalienable right to not only live life, but to live life with civil liberties and with the ability to pursue happiness. The role of government is to protect these rights, a role which is established in the Declaration of Independence with the statement that "to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men." Was one act of terrorism all it took to crumble the principles upon which this country was founded. Are we not stronger than that? Is that the extent of our conviction? Our President and his entire evangelical neo-conservative base seem to have lost touch with the role of government. They are exploiting the fear and pain of our country to dismantle its civil liberties so that they may better wage a war not on terror, but on the emptiness of their pockets(their pockets are far from empty). The war we are waging in Iraq is not about deposing a dictator, for there are far more dictators in the world than just Saddam Hussein. If this country has not directly placed these dictators in power, it has at least turned a blind eye towards them. Oil, however, is not the only motivation for this war. This war is about Big Business and the creation of a foothold from which our exploitation of the Muslim world may spread. Halliburton, the contracting firm formerly headed by Vice President Cheney, was handed the job of supporting the military bases in Iraq and rebuilding the country. As you can guess, there is a lot of money changing hands in a deal like this and you can bet that some of those hands are in very high and powerful places. Places that may have played a role in creating this war in the first place. A country must be destroyed before it can be rebuilt. Those who see the true repulsive nature of those currently in power and cry out against them are silenced. We are labeled unpatriotic and we are told to move to Russia or France or whatever other country is our government’s current scapegoat. Can't they see, can't you see, that when the masses have no more voice the powerful few have complete control? What makes this country different from the countries our leaders say we should abhor, is the ability to voice a dissenting view. But this ability is lost when a dissenting view is labeled unpatriotic and squashed. To all those that call me, or call you, or call any dissenting voice unpatriotic I beg you look back and see who the real patriots were. This countries true patriots, it's founding fathers, would be disgusted with what is being done in their name. The following are their words, words that should be kept in mind by those who throw around the term unpatriotic as a synonym for dissent.
"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin."
-Samuel Adams
And yet when any of us stand up to such a government, we are pushed down, labeled as unpatriotic, and told to leave this country. True patriotism is not blind obedience, it is the willingness, and in fact, the obligation to stand up and claim a voice.
"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from the government."
-Thomas Paine
The government is not a body meant to lead a nation, but rather one to watch over it. This being the purpose of government was an idea that many of the founding fathers believed in, yet there were those that disagreed. Their dissent was not only accepted, but welcomed. Those who claim to be patriotic need to reexamine the history of patriotism, for it is only when one understands the term that one can truly apply it to their own life and the lives of those around them.
"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."
-James Madison
As the Sons, Daughters, Brothers, Sisters, Mothers and Fathers of The United States die and kill in Iraq, it is important to keep in mind Madison’s words. No war, no event, and no man or woman should ever be a reason to lay down our civil liberties. For they are our last line of defense against tyranny and our last chance to once again be a guiding light for positive change in the world. Should we lay those civil liberties down, then we truly would be unpatriotic and un-American. Please open your eyes. Don’t take their word for it. Don’t silence yourself. Don't give up and inch and never stop fighting for a better place for all life to exist. Open your eyes today. Should you wait until tomorrow, it may just be too late.
PS. Tell me what you think of what I wrote, I'm thinking about trying to send it in as an op ed piece to newspapers and see what they say, so I want to hear what you think
- Benjamin Franklin
On a hot September day, 19 men carried out an attack that was the catalyst for the destruction of many of the ideals that the United States was founded upon. This country was founded upon the principle that we could provide the guiding light to a world still steeped in oppressive monarchies, and show it the power of Democracy. To be a shining example in a world where rights were still determined by the whims of those in power. To show that every man and woman has the unalienable right to not only live life, but to live life with civil liberties and with the ability to pursue happiness. The role of government is to protect these rights, a role which is established in the Declaration of Independence with the statement that "to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men." Was one act of terrorism all it took to crumble the principles upon which this country was founded. Are we not stronger than that? Is that the extent of our conviction? Our President and his entire evangelical neo-conservative base seem to have lost touch with the role of government. They are exploiting the fear and pain of our country to dismantle its civil liberties so that they may better wage a war not on terror, but on the emptiness of their pockets(their pockets are far from empty). The war we are waging in Iraq is not about deposing a dictator, for there are far more dictators in the world than just Saddam Hussein. If this country has not directly placed these dictators in power, it has at least turned a blind eye towards them. Oil, however, is not the only motivation for this war. This war is about Big Business and the creation of a foothold from which our exploitation of the Muslim world may spread. Halliburton, the contracting firm formerly headed by Vice President Cheney, was handed the job of supporting the military bases in Iraq and rebuilding the country. As you can guess, there is a lot of money changing hands in a deal like this and you can bet that some of those hands are in very high and powerful places. Places that may have played a role in creating this war in the first place. A country must be destroyed before it can be rebuilt. Those who see the true repulsive nature of those currently in power and cry out against them are silenced. We are labeled unpatriotic and we are told to move to Russia or France or whatever other country is our government’s current scapegoat. Can't they see, can't you see, that when the masses have no more voice the powerful few have complete control? What makes this country different from the countries our leaders say we should abhor, is the ability to voice a dissenting view. But this ability is lost when a dissenting view is labeled unpatriotic and squashed. To all those that call me, or call you, or call any dissenting voice unpatriotic I beg you look back and see who the real patriots were. This countries true patriots, it's founding fathers, would be disgusted with what is being done in their name. The following are their words, words that should be kept in mind by those who throw around the term unpatriotic as a synonym for dissent.
"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin."
-Samuel Adams
And yet when any of us stand up to such a government, we are pushed down, labeled as unpatriotic, and told to leave this country. True patriotism is not blind obedience, it is the willingness, and in fact, the obligation to stand up and claim a voice.
"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from the government."
-Thomas Paine
The government is not a body meant to lead a nation, but rather one to watch over it. This being the purpose of government was an idea that many of the founding fathers believed in, yet there were those that disagreed. Their dissent was not only accepted, but welcomed. Those who claim to be patriotic need to reexamine the history of patriotism, for it is only when one understands the term that one can truly apply it to their own life and the lives of those around them.
"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."
-James Madison
As the Sons, Daughters, Brothers, Sisters, Mothers and Fathers of The United States die and kill in Iraq, it is important to keep in mind Madison’s words. No war, no event, and no man or woman should ever be a reason to lay down our civil liberties. For they are our last line of defense against tyranny and our last chance to once again be a guiding light for positive change in the world. Should we lay those civil liberties down, then we truly would be unpatriotic and un-American. Please open your eyes. Don’t take their word for it. Don’t silence yourself. Don't give up and inch and never stop fighting for a better place for all life to exist. Open your eyes today. Should you wait until tomorrow, it may just be too late.
PS. Tell me what you think of what I wrote, I'm thinking about trying to send it in as an op ed piece to newspapers and see what they say, so I want to hear what you think