On this Independence Day, I give you the words of Nameless Soldier, currently on location somewhere in Iraq:
America doesn't maintain itself. It's corny, but Freedom isn't Free. I'm not talking about the military or anything like that. This isn't an effort to recruit anyone, it's just an acknowledgement that if we wan't to keep democracy fresh and real we have to keep working on it, otherwise we are bound to lose it. Unless we are active in our comunities, those in charge will think that they can treat us like door matts. Our freedoms are "use or lose" items. If you don't use your right to speak out, you may wake up one day to find out that you're not allowed to. The same goes for all of our other rights. Already, some of those have felt feet trying to trample on them.One of the great things about America is that it represents something different to each person. I guarantee that George Bush sees America differently than a new immigrant, but that's only the beginning of the differences. Each of us uses a differnet mix of our liberties, each of us values certain things more than others. And by taking advantage of the unique experiences and knowledge that each of us has developed, we are a force to be reckoned with. In roughly 250 years our nation has risen to greatnes beyond anything that might have been imagined by the founding fathers, and we have done it because of our freedoms. Without the rule of law and civil liberties we would have nothing.
But some of those liberties are under attack. There are those in America who value corporations above individuals and profits over freedoms. And it is time for us as a nation to rise up and say that we will not except that option. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is time to stand up and demand that those rights stop being chipped away at. It is time to remind those in power what America was founded on.
Since 9/11, there has been a lot of talk about what it means to be a "patriot." Is it someone who is willing to go to war? Maybe a patriot is someone who is willing to make hard decisions. I don't think so. To me, true patriotism lies in a willingness to remember what your nation is supposed to be about, and then acting on it. Patriotism is not about blind loyalty to your nations leaders or founders, it is about a willingness to always look for the truth. Patriotism is about making your nation better than it's ever been before, and making it better for everyone, not just the rich. I say that there is no better tribute to the last couple of centuries of progress than to continue to progress.
