It CAN Happen Here

I am not a Bush fan. In fact, there is not a lot of love lost between myself and most of the people in office today. Those who wish to send my husband to fight for the freedom of others wouldn’t when they were of age. No, I know that some say, “Well, Bush wanted to go to Vietnam.” In response, I say that he should have grown a set and enlisted in the infantry or Marines.

And here’s the heart of the issue. Do we, or do we not want to live in a totalitarian state? Some say, “Well, as long as we are in power, it shouldn’t be that bad.” Bull. The government that can spy without warrant on the “bad guys” is the government that will turn around and spy on you. These are the tactics of the regime that we just overthrew in Iraq; spying on its own citizens.

I can trace my family’s arrival in America back about four hundred years. Not quite as early as the Mayflower, but pretty close. Family members of mine fought in the War of Independence, the War of 1812, the Civil War, both World Wars, the Vietnam War, and now the War in Iraq. And, if I look hard enough, I could probably add the missing wars to my list.

My family came as political refugees from England. Trying to overthrow the crown does that to you. We were seeking political freedom. And we found it. Now, are we going to stand idly by and let the Bush administration overthrow our freedoms? We are. We value life above freedom. We are a shame to those who came before us. We should value freedom above life.

It is time for us to stand up and say, “Enough.” We are not just fighting with those abroad who would take away our freedom; we are fighting with those domestically who would take away our freedom. I’m not calling to overthrow the Constitution, I am saying we need to stand up and insist that those who vowed to uphold it follow through.