Patriots
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| Also listed in: "Build the Party" | Cruel and Illogical Twits: |
We've fallen a long way from the noble ideals that our founding fathers believed in and fought to realize. They conceived of a nation unlike any other that had existed in the history of the societies of man. Their dream was a nation governed by the people; where each individual would have the freedom to pursue the life of their choosing. They imagined that this freedom alone would inspire every citizen to take responsibility for realizing their own dreams. It was not wrong for them to imagine this, because they lived in a world where a normal life was a life of hard work for someone else's benefit. To think that people might refuse to work for their own benefit was not a concept they would have easily understood. And so, in the beginning, we were a revolution in liberty and Democracy.
Jump forward a few hundred years, a civil war over States' rights and human rights, two World Wars, and a cold war where democracy faced off on the world stage againt totalitarian government. During that time, as a nation we've questioned and tested our Constitution (civil war), we've improved it (civil rights) and we've defended our belief in it (WWI & II). We've feared that it might be under covert attack from without and from within (cold war). And what we have enjoyed with such gluttonous excess that we now take it for granted is our basic freedom to make our own choices about how we live.
People on this site, mostly being Democrats, are frustrated and angry about the policies of the Bush administration and perceived injustices that have been committed. In many cases these frustrations are based in reason and can be rationally argued. However, in some cases, emotion takes over and leads the person expressing frustration to ever increasing levels of rhetoric that somewhere parts ways with reality. When this happens, people tend to forget something important: We ARE the good guys, this IS a great country.
As Democrats, we express concern, and rightly so, over the shrinking middle class and the growing disparity between the wealthy few and the many in poverty. However, some have said that it's already so bad that it's time for a revolution. Really? India, anyone? Caste system? Is it REALLY worse for us than it is for them?
As Democrats, we lament the loss of personal rights to privacy and civil rights that are threatened by the Patriot Act. Some have said that it's like living under a fascist regime. Really?
From The Doctrine of Fascism
Until someone actually runs the Constitution through a shredder, sets the pieces on fire, and then scatters the ashes into the wind, no American government, no matter HOW much we disagree with their enacted policies, will be a facist regime.
As Democrats we are against the war in Iraq. And rightly so. But some forget that Saddam Hussein WAS a cruel and vicious dictator. Life was far from perfect before we got there. No, screwing up the infrastructure and starting a civil war wasn't the best way to help, but it wasn't exactly a picnic before.
As enlightened thinkers who believe in equality and tolerance, we like to think that all forms of faith - or none - are equally good. But some ignore the fact that this very thought would be punishable by death according to some faiths. Modern Judeo-Christian trends, which are the prevailing faith trends in the United States, are increasingly more tolerant and seek a common ground with other world faiths. Not so with every society which follows a major world religion.
While it is our responsibility as Americans to insist that our government not overstep the limits placed on it by our Constitution, it is foolish to suggest that our freedom has already been taken away in any substantial measure.
This is still the country that our founding fathers established, and we ARE the good guys.
Happy Independence Day.
Jump forward a few hundred years, a civil war over States' rights and human rights, two World Wars, and a cold war where democracy faced off on the world stage againt totalitarian government. During that time, as a nation we've questioned and tested our Constitution (civil war), we've improved it (civil rights) and we've defended our belief in it (WWI & II). We've feared that it might be under covert attack from without and from within (cold war). And what we have enjoyed with such gluttonous excess that we now take it for granted is our basic freedom to make our own choices about how we live.
People on this site, mostly being Democrats, are frustrated and angry about the policies of the Bush administration and perceived injustices that have been committed. In many cases these frustrations are based in reason and can be rationally argued. However, in some cases, emotion takes over and leads the person expressing frustration to ever increasing levels of rhetoric that somewhere parts ways with reality. When this happens, people tend to forget something important: We ARE the good guys, this IS a great country.
As Democrats, we express concern, and rightly so, over the shrinking middle class and the growing disparity between the wealthy few and the many in poverty. However, some have said that it's already so bad that it's time for a revolution. Really? India, anyone? Caste system? Is it REALLY worse for us than it is for them?
As Democrats, we lament the loss of personal rights to privacy and civil rights that are threatened by the Patriot Act. Some have said that it's like living under a fascist regime. Really?
From The Doctrine of Fascism
Anti-individualistic, the fascist conception of life stresses the importance of the State and accepts the individual only insofar as his interests coincide with those of the State, which stands for the conscience and the universal will of man as a historic entity.... The fascist conception of the State is all-embracing; outside of it no human or spiritual values can exist, much less have value....
Until someone actually runs the Constitution through a shredder, sets the pieces on fire, and then scatters the ashes into the wind, no American government, no matter HOW much we disagree with their enacted policies, will be a facist regime.
As Democrats we are against the war in Iraq. And rightly so. But some forget that Saddam Hussein WAS a cruel and vicious dictator. Life was far from perfect before we got there. No, screwing up the infrastructure and starting a civil war wasn't the best way to help, but it wasn't exactly a picnic before.
As enlightened thinkers who believe in equality and tolerance, we like to think that all forms of faith - or none - are equally good. But some ignore the fact that this very thought would be punishable by death according to some faiths. Modern Judeo-Christian trends, which are the prevailing faith trends in the United States, are increasingly more tolerant and seek a common ground with other world faiths. Not so with every society which follows a major world religion.
While it is our responsibility as Americans to insist that our government not overstep the limits placed on it by our Constitution, it is foolish to suggest that our freedom has already been taken away in any substantial measure.
This is still the country that our founding fathers established, and we ARE the good guys.
Happy Independence Day.
The most recent example? Italy is now requiring the finger-printing of gypsies, even those who are citizens.
And, there were times during the last eight years when I was afraid we were about to become a dictatorship---especially when the Democrats didn't even really TRY to stand up to Bush during the last two years. I will not be convinced there is no possibility of that until after we survive the 2008 election without gross voting problems and another Republican "victory."