|
Lost America
At times, rather than getting angry about those things around me which I perceive as unjust, I become rather detached and philosophical. The anger is still there, but it is a distant thing, much as though it were the anger of another rather than my own. I think, "My, what a curious thing this has turned out to be."
With this in mind, I turn to the current state of our union. I think, what has become of America? What has become of the dream of freedom and limited government? Is it but a relic which we half-heartedly pay homage to for a month or two after a terrorist attack or on Independence Day?
We are committing a grave error. We are forgetting the past. Are we thus condemned to repeat it?
It seems to be so. In fact, we are in the process of repeating it. We are becoming something other than the republic envisioned by the founders. We are becoming an empire. We are becoming Rome.
The problem is, nobody cares. Why? Because we are already quite far along the decay. We are becoming sheep, and we are content to lounge about, eating and defecating. The Romans had bread and circuses, we have welfare and television.
It is a very curious thing.
It reminds me of a story I once heard. If dropped into boiling water, it is said that a frog will immediately attempt to jump out. However, if placed in cool water which is then slowly heated to a boil, the frog will be boiled alive, passive to the slow changes occurring. That boiling point draws near. Our government has become so large and intrusive in both foreign and domestic affairs that no one person can hope to understand it. We are taxed at every corner. We are regulated in our every activity. Ever increasing strings from Washington entangle us, and instead of reacting with anger as the founders did, we dance in tune with them as though we were puppets.
Indeed, the drive which once characterized this nation has undergone a radical change. Instead of a certain proudly defiant self-reliance, we now seem a nation comprised of small children, ever petulant and bitchy. We have gone from "Give me liberty or give me death!" to "Enslave us, but feed us." The slightest misfortune or perceived wrong occurs, and instead of acting with bravery and fortitude, we cry to our government to take care of us.
It is a most curious thing indeed.
Scott Bushee can be reached at: [email protected]
|
|
|
|
Privacy Policy Network Advertising Article Syndication
|
|
