Posted: 2/13/2009 6:58:22 PM EDT
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The liberty bell is cracked and retired, now displayed as what once was. As is the principle after which it is named. The word "liberty" used to hold a great power––a uniting struggle emblazoned upon the swords of all men. Perhaps liberty was the struggle itself––the struggle for independence, for sovereignty, for a voice. Liberty was self-reliance. Liberty was a rebellion against incredible odds, and never backing down from an all-powerful institution that had become concerned only with its own self-preservation. Liberty is perseverance––never surrendering to apathy or an attitude of unattainable victory. On March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry stood up and without notes delivered a speech, ending it with famous yet forgotten words, "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"
We've chosen death. The legislators making the laws do so not in our best interest but in theirs. Presidents continuously extend the credibility gap with deceit. They surround themselves with advisers who are simply there to reinforce their opinions, allowing them to justify their acts as honorable. Day after day the American people are spat upon by their own government whose very purpose is to serve their wishes and protect them. And Americans constantly cast this aside because, hey, they can't do anything about it. When we need something, we look to the legislators to give it to us. We as a nation don't seem to care about the balance of power anymore. We saturate the branches of government with those holding like beliefs and little opposition. We have forgotten the necessity of conflict, skepticism, and limitation. A few years later, the tides turn and we do the same thing with opposing parties. Neither of these parties have the best interest of the country––the people in mind. Even our very last hope, the most noble of all those serving in the United States Government––the supreme court has become partisan. We do not come full circle, as this would imply we end where we begin. Rather is it of a spiralled nature. Power shifts from one side to the other, but the direction remains, in the end, stagnant. Generation after generation fears what will happen in the next, and to me this is quite indicative of the "spirality." Everyone in this nation fears what we are becoming with the only dissent being that these are "changing times." Apparently changes in times excuse the lack of self-reliance. We all reverently hold freedom as benevolent, yet we all feel as though we take it for granted. All while we squander it in the hollow words of our leaders. A good portion of the dissent that we do see is from those who have become more for the cause than for the outcome. They have indoctrinated this "cause," perhaps even out of popularity or social recognition, and have forgotten why they protest. The government of the united states was once of the people, by the people, and for the people. We have since gradually felled this notion, now viewing government as separate from the people. In our minds we, the people, no longer govern the United States of America, but rather is it governed for us. Politics has become a fucking game. It's a game impregnated with party alliance. Parties are no longer simply a group of like-minded individuals, pushing for what they think is right. Political parties do not serve the united States of America. Political parties serve themselves. Even George Washington understood this when he proclaimed: "They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels, and modified by mutual interests. "However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion." Every politician calls for change. Despite the fact that they never actually lay out what exactly the changes will be, we still seem to slurp their words down until we can be fed again. These politicians stand in front of the country and proclaim that they can fix the problems. That we need them, we need to rely on them to fix all of our problems. They will be our saviors, our heroes. They will save this country. We firmly believe this, even as they increase their own power and that of our government. We allow them to establish bureaucratic office after office, and to slowly whittle away our rights under the guise of offering protection. We all agree with Ben Franklin's words, that "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." And we proceed to turn our backs on the brilliant warnings of this man. Times are changing, right? These statements are not at all profound. Do you like politicians? Does anyone? I have never heard anyone say that we should trust a politician (quite the contrary). But we do. Through both support and silence we affirm them. They get off on telling us that they "reached across the aisle" on an issue, and we eat it up as noble. Yet we all know that neither side of the aisle is working for us. We all know they stand up at the podium and refuse to answer our questions and instead offer ambiguous responses. We all agree they act as crooked and nefarious salesmen, trying to sell us a shoddy and faulty product by attempting to convince us it's what is best for us. Yet we allow it, and we allow them to convince us. We allow them to get away with lies. Direct lies to the American people. What treason! We allow them to walk away after breaking laws and worse yet, voting laws into code for everyone but them to follow. But what happens when these politicians themselves are the problem? Who is to save us from the politicians? So who is going to save us? I ask you––whose responsibility is it? It's mine. And yours. There is no healthier mindset than that of skepticism, an no more important civic duty than that of dissent. Otherwise, complacency will be the death of our nation. The only thing that holds this country together at this point is a two-hundred twenty-one year old document. The Constitution to our politicians is a hindrance. To us it must be a creed. The Constitution is not an argument for or against an issue––The Constitution IS the argument. Ironic, isn't it, that the Bill of Rights was, at the time of ratification, viewed as un-necessary? Who would possibly trample upon or attempt to circumvent the amendments? Our legislators who draft the laws and our executives who sign the laws have, do, and will continue to do so. Just as it took so long for the tree of liberty to grow, so has it taken time for the leaves to wither without our water. It is time that we pledge allegiance to our country, not to our politicians. After all, WE are the country, and they work for us. "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed." This is from our own Declaration of Independence. I do not call for insurrection, rather do I oppose it. At this time a war with ourselves will lead to the destruction of any hope of a future for this country. Our Constitution will become completely meaningless, and any resulting government will be a detriment to all freedoms to all Americans. I do call for alteration. I do propose calling every politician that represents you and politely telling them to fuck off. Tell them that the American people––no, America––will not stand for the games that they play. America will not stand down while our own government through duplicity patronizes the spirit of our country. I'll go first. This is what it means to be an American. An American is one who embraces a constant rebellion against tyranny (a term that has become cliché to the tyrants so they may more easily cast it aside). It is to limit the power and actions of government, for in the words of Jefferson, "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." We must fight oppression of a government that has become separate from the people and that grows more and more self-sufficient every day. We must support the individual as the collective, and not the collective as an individual. Be fueled not by hate of the government, but out of love for the country, for this country has given our generations far more than we have given it. -kap_x ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I had been thinking about what to do for post 10k, and originally I had planned to write something else more profound and insightful, but never got around to doing so 
Arfcom is an excellent community through which I've made a great number of friends and learned an enormous amount of information. This is truly the greatest site on the internet. Thanks for not banning me! 
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Quoted: I think you'd have to kill me to get that title Sandit.Quoted: I'm glad they haven't banned you either, Kappy-bear.  And he's not a post-whore. He's one of the most eloquent of the Night Crew.  One of the most eloquent? He's probably the most eloquent of us. Says the least eloquent one. (me)Inspired writing Kap.  |
Thanks guys