Memorial Day; a celebration of respect for those who gave their lives, so that we may be able to continue our lives in freedom. As noble as this sounds, it is far removed from the reality of the true situation we find ourselves in. Truly, the sacrifice of American soldiers on and off the battle fields should be warmly remembered; they were our relatives, our neighbors, our children, our parents and our friends. What greater sacrifice can a person give for their country than their very own lives? They deserve our honor, our respect and admiration as human beings willing to die for the American way of life. Or so the story goes .......

But it is not the reality. Americans fight for our freedoms, and, we are gullible enough to believe that fighting will insure our freedom, because that is the pablum we have been fed all of our lives. Today marks another year of endorsing the great lie. How can we really be free if we must undress at the airports, subject ourselves to unreasonable search & seizures, and not question the Patriot Act which has destroyed our rights both as citizens and as human beings.

What society can call themselves free if they are willing to surrender their freedoms? What country can call itself the liberator from injustices, when it suspends Habeas Corpus and maintains the right to hold anyone without charges for indefinite periods? How can we believe that we live freely within a system of laws, when they don’t equally apply to everyone, and how can we move forward if we refuse to correct the wrongs of our past? What country can claim to be a democracy, when the will of the people is dismissed; or a representative-republic, when voices from those represented are ignored? How secure do we feel, knowing that assassination, without trial or conviction, has become sanctioned?

If I need to constantly look over my shoulder to see if anyone is following me, or live with the fear that anyone, with-or-without reason, can make my life instantly miserable; I am not a free man. If I cannot hold secure my possessions, my thoughts, my opinions and my speech; I can not enjoy freedom. If I gather with others in a public place to share my views and opinions, with the threat of the possibility of being considered a terrorist, arrested and punished; I am not living in a freedom. If all of my emails and telephone conversations are monitored by government operatives; my freedoms are questionable. If the government-sanctioned domestic terrorist organization known as the TSA will be at my daughter’s senior high-school prom; I cannot begin to believe that I live in a free country. As I witness the TSA groping children in private places, or an agent of the TSA enjoying the process of fondling my wife’s breast, -in the line of duty, I realize that I do not live with the freedoms that soldiers have died for over the past three centuries. I am living in an illusion, and being told everyday that I live with freedom, does not make it so.

It should have become clear to every American, by now, that wars are not fought for our freedoms; wars are fought for multinational corporations to gain control of another country's rich resources, their land and how it may benefit moving profitable consumables around the world; the hearts and souls of their people be-dammed. War is about profits, and although many fine young soldiers are willing to sacrifice their lives for honor and glory, sadly, they did not die for what was intended, they died for Corporatocracy, they died for profits.

On this Memorial Day, let us honor their intents to spread democracy, to free enslaved nations above poverty levels and remember them as best we can. Let us not, however, retain the illusion that we live in freedom because of their well-intended sacrifices; as we certainly do not.

_______

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/mike-samu/36492/memorial-day-2011

And your a loberal who voted for this president and still allows these type of things to happen. I hope your proud of your vote!
And you are a veteran? You should be ashamed of yourself for posting this and having those feelings! I have a hard time believing you served and posted an ariticle like this. If you ask me your a traiter and a POS!!!!

Some of what is in this article I agree with, particularly the TSA portion. It is because of liberals that we Americans are subjected to this violation of personal space so as not to pick on any one specific race or culture. Sometimes profiling is not only ok, but necessary.

Cmon bored you know it was the neocons who invented the patriot act, of course the blue dog dems enabled them.

who just signed it in for another 4 years? the same neocons?

Its a lose lose for the dems.

Dont sign it and your accused by fox news and the right wing media of being soft on terrorists.

sign it and the progresives accuse him of being Bush Jr.

Oh what times we live in.

It was rail roaded with little or no debate.

Hardly the land of the free and home of the brave are we?