Well, it's 3:30 AM on July 4, 2008. And what better thing to do at dead time than to rant about why this Independence Day is so different for me this year.
Ever since I was young, I always loved the 4th of July. I loved the cookouts. I loved the red, white, and blue napkins and paper plates. I loved knowing that our country was something to celebrate. I felt proud.
And then, well... You all know what happened. I became Heidi 2.0. I've learned America is NOT something to celebrate.
Everyone likes to believe that on Independence Day, you should be thankful for your freedoms and your rights that you have by living in this country... Too bad the rights and freedoms proclaimed by the founding fathers on this day of 1776 are no more.
The American Revolution is my favorite war of all history. I believe it was the only necessary war ever fought. The colonists wanted independence from England; the "big-brother" country who over-taxed them without representation and who intruded on the colonists lives by forcing colonists to let British soliders live in their house and serve them dinner without pay. The American Revolution was fought so that we could be free from these evil ways.
Ben Franklin never wanted all this taxation we face today.
George Washington never wanted all of this international warfare and intervention we face today.
Thomas Jefferson never wanted any kind of "big brother" government intruding on our lives and taking away the freedoms the revolutionaries fought so hard to earn for us.
...YET THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
You don't have rights anymore. The Patriot Act took all your basic rights to privacy away. You're taxed out of your mind; your government has no money so it takes yours instead.
Don't tell me to thank the troops in Iraq on Independence Day. We weren't fighting for freedom in Korea. We weren't fighting for freedom in VietNam. We weren't fighting for freedom in WWII. We weren't fighting for freedom in Afganistan. We ARE NOT fighting for freedom in Iraq... and we WILL NOT be fighting for freedom in Iran.
You're all being fooled. You have nothing to celebrate. Burn your patriotic plates and napkins. Don't sing along to the Boston Pop's "Patriotic Sing-Along on TV" with your hand over your heart.
Get out into the streets and spread the truth.
Join in the new revolution.
Join the Campaign for Liberty.
Stop living a lie.
-heidifath.