July 05, 2009
NOT FEELING SO INDEPENDENT
I didn't write an Independence Day post yesterday.
I just didn't have it in me.
Neal Boortz hates the 4th of July. Every year he refuses to work that day because he says he cannot stand people's superficial displays of liberty and independence. Americans ask more and more of Uncle Sugar and relinquish more of their freedom in exchange for government security, and then they have the nerve to celebrate being free on the 4th of July.
I've always snickered at Boortz and thought he was overreacting.
But this year, I am slowly joining him...
As the future of our country goes down the tube, I had a hard time feeling very celebratory yesterday.
Many months ago, I happened to catch Sean Hannity doing a man-on-the-street interview with a young girl. He was asking her questions about what she believed people had the right to. According to her, they have the right to everything: jobs, education, shelter, transportation, health care, and so on. But when Hannity pressed her, saying that surely she can't believe that every single person deserves free everything, she frustratedly replied, "No, you're twisting my words around. Not everybody, only the people who can't afford it. If you can pay for your own college, you should, but if you can't afford it, the government should help pay." So Hannity goes, "Oh, OK, let me see if I can rephrase it. You mean we should function to each according to his need and from each according to his ability?" And the girl excitedly said, "YES, that's it, that's exactly what I meant!"
He then asked if she knew who Karl Marx was, and naturally she had no idea...
I just don't think my countrymen understand what true independence means. I don't think they understand that freedom also means the freedom to fail, to have bad luck, to lose it all. I don't think they understand what the signers of the Declaration of Independence risked and sacrificed.
I don't think they understand risk and sacrifice at all anymore.
And I can't help but note a new "long train of abuses and usurpations" with each passing day...
Comments are disabled.
Post is locked.
I just didn't have it in me.
Neal Boortz hates the 4th of July. Every year he refuses to work that day because he says he cannot stand people's superficial displays of liberty and independence. Americans ask more and more of Uncle Sugar and relinquish more of their freedom in exchange for government security, and then they have the nerve to celebrate being free on the 4th of July.
I've always snickered at Boortz and thought he was overreacting.
But this year, I am slowly joining him...
As the future of our country goes down the tube, I had a hard time feeling very celebratory yesterday.
Many months ago, I happened to catch Sean Hannity doing a man-on-the-street interview with a young girl. He was asking her questions about what she believed people had the right to. According to her, they have the right to everything: jobs, education, shelter, transportation, health care, and so on. But when Hannity pressed her, saying that surely she can't believe that every single person deserves free everything, she frustratedly replied, "No, you're twisting my words around. Not everybody, only the people who can't afford it. If you can pay for your own college, you should, but if you can't afford it, the government should help pay." So Hannity goes, "Oh, OK, let me see if I can rephrase it. You mean we should function to each according to his need and from each according to his ability?" And the girl excitedly said, "YES, that's it, that's exactly what I meant!"
He then asked if she knew who Karl Marx was, and naturally she had no idea...
I just don't think my countrymen understand what true independence means. I don't think they understand that freedom also means the freedom to fail, to have bad luck, to lose it all. I don't think they understand what the signers of the Declaration of Independence risked and sacrificed.
I don't think they understand risk and sacrifice at all anymore.
And I can't help but note a new "long train of abuses and usurpations" with each passing day...
Posted by: Sarah at
07:39 AM
| Comments (3)
| Add Comment
Post contains 361 words, total size 2 kb.
1
Thank you. We spent yesterday (the 4th) quietly puttering around the house. And watching the 4pm heat caused thunder and lightning storm from the back porch.
It didn't feel celebratory. Just quiet and peaceful. And ... it didn't feel wrong not to celebrate. I didn't feel like a cranky, grumpy, ol' sourpuss. It just didn't feel right to celebrate.
(And no, this has nothing to do with me being Canadian. Hubby didn't fancy celebrating any more than I did, and he's as American as they come.)
It didn't feel celebratory. Just quiet and peaceful. And ... it didn't feel wrong not to celebrate. I didn't feel like a cranky, grumpy, ol' sourpuss. It just didn't feel right to celebrate.
(And no, this has nothing to do with me being Canadian. Hubby didn't fancy celebrating any more than I did, and he's as American as they come.)
Posted by: Eowyn at July 05, 2009 03:45 PM (p9nWE)
2
I had a sobered day, a solemn day, thinking of what's happening to the independence whose origins we celebrate. We read the Declaration yesterday, as we do every Fourth, and it was pretty chilling how closely it corresponded to the way things are now. We have a clear case, according to the Declaration, for secession. . . .
Posted by: Lucy at July 05, 2009 11:53 PM (0nTD7)
3
Been a rough one for me, too... Hubby "suspended" me from politics & societal issues (which is pretty much every news story, the way I see them) for the duration of last week after HR 2454 passed, LOL... I didn't deal very well with the shock of seeing moneychangers dealing openly on the floors of our temples of government.
So... I've spent the last week trying to live "normal" life while I come to terms with fighting a losing battle against an unprincipled, ignorant populace that's bent on empowering power-hungry criminals who are even less principled, and not nearly as ignorant.
BUT... I'm clinging to this nagging suspicion that there are enough not-so-ignorant ones out here, and the powermongers can only run roughshod over not-so-ignorant people for so long...
And I'm getting prepared for (more of) the feeling of being officially classified as a nutjob minority: even though more and more people agree with those "nutjob" views, the official sanction is quite unfriendly to them. Feeling like we have more in common with our good Founders all the time, LOL... ;-)
So... I've spent the last week trying to live "normal" life while I come to terms with fighting a losing battle against an unprincipled, ignorant populace that's bent on empowering power-hungry criminals who are even less principled, and not nearly as ignorant.
BUT... I'm clinging to this nagging suspicion that there are enough not-so-ignorant ones out here, and the powermongers can only run roughshod over not-so-ignorant people for so long...
And I'm getting prepared for (more of) the feeling of being officially classified as a nutjob minority: even though more and more people agree with those "nutjob" views, the official sanction is quite unfriendly to them. Feeling like we have more in common with our good Founders all the time, LOL... ;-)
Posted by: Krista at July 06, 2009 04:04 PM (sUTgZ)
46kb generated in CPU 0.0177, elapsed 0.0893 seconds.
49 queries taking 0.0807 seconds, 200 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.
49 queries taking 0.0807 seconds, 200 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.
