open_letter_to_an_apathetic_citizenry daf Do we honor the vision of freedom that our Founding Fathers put forth by blindly following the dictates of a system they put in place but did not foresee the abuse of? If their mechanism is flawed and we now know it, don't we owe it to them, as their fellow Americans, and beneficiaries..to set the wheels of our people aligned and the course of their consciences straight? Don't we owe it to future generations and to that initial dream of preserving liberty which we call "American"? When has an American, a true American at heart, trodden on another's freedom with glee? Although our human rights record is not spotless, and the very founding construction of this nation was borne on the backs of slaves, still the ideal that we consider in our hearts "American" found its way even through this inconstancy, and has ever since struggled, but limped along toward redemption..and honesty with herself. Then this: the farce which we call a political process. There is no process anymore. There are two camps that have two different philosophies for spending obscene quantities of our money on crap ideas or pocket-lining arrangements. What no one seems to realize, admit or care about is that every 4 - 7 dollars = 1 hour of an American's life. If just $1,000,000 is wasted, 23 years of some American's life was just tossed to the winds. For what? To indulge some, disconnected, power-brokering parasites who make their living by overspending and through pompous avoidance of consequences? I'm sorry, but that qualifies us as either clinically insane or genocidal. I'm not doing this anymore. I'm an American, and this is not the American way. From now on, I'm only complying if it's sensible or necessary to do so. In all other conditions I am obligated by birth to choose freedom over compliance. I'm obligated to choose bravery over acquiesence and I choose my obligation over my society's ridiculous notion of what constitutes freedom. I am obligated to embrace discomfort rather than relinquish freedoms. I value no life more than freedom..but value all lives enough to see them free, and would die for their right to be so. What value is there in this circular way of living? If all of our inspirations and pondering inevitably leads us to either blind, delusional contentment or incurable disillusion..why seek after inspiration at all in a society whose mad circuits lead nowhere nor improve our spirit one whit? I do not see the value in comfort as being superior to the value of freedom. Although my want for comfort is certainly not lacking, still..eventually there is no comfort in restriction. A poor, wretched freedom is far superior to a comfortable, convenient pen. Sheep have comfortable pens, and full bellies too. They are fleeced at regular intervals and without thought to their wishing to be so relieved; no thought at that moment to any sense of inconvenience caused by the randomness of it. When they grow old, they are discarded to make room for fresh new sheep who will produce more for the same space and with half of the craftiness. Sheep are comfortable..they are not free. Being an America is not about comfort..not convenience..nor security. So why do our public servants stick guns in our faces when they must force us to comply? Americans don't have our guns to control others. We have guns to keep others from controlling us. And we don't just give up our liberties to save our lives. If you don't value freedom more than life, then how can you be worthy of it? To those of you who say, "If you're dead you can't be free." I say..now we know who you are in this for. Not us..not the future. Not society, just you. Why should society care about your thoughts on the subject at that point? You don't care about her needs. Her cold restrictions, the snap of her tightly bound hair upon her back. You would just as soon see her die an ignanimous snuff film death; bound and gagged, wretched, degraded and humiliated. That is what your apathy has done to our beloved place of birth, and sorrily, I find you detestable for it. 080408 ... Lemon_Soda Kind of a learned helplessness, wouldn't you say? 080408 ... LEMON SODA RESPONDING CHECK 081110 what's it to you? who go blather from