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About Patty Mansfield
Patty Mansfield in a new media writer from Sugarland,
Texas. |
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Independence Day |
Patty Mansfield
Independence Day
July 2, 2010
Independence Day in today’s great country of the United States of America is a
day to remember the freedoms you have that were given to you by the bravery and
blood of our military and citizens on July 4th, 1776. It has been almost two and
a half centuries ago and since that time we must remember the flag continues to
fly across this great nation by the bravery and blood of our military. We must
remind ourselves that the freedom won in 1776, is the freedom held today by
those brave, dedicated soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines who accept the
ultimate sacrifice as their duty to maintain the freedom and security that no
other country on Earth has reached. It is a day to realize that no warring
nation has ever been on our shores; a feat unheard of anywhere else in the
world.
Independence Day is a day to reflect on the freedom of your independence to be
who you are, to express what you desire and to act freely under the laws of this
nation. You have been given a right to live freely that no other country in the
world can offer their citizens. You have been given the right to pursue
prosperity and happiness in any way you so choose, within our laws, that on this
day should be appreciated and recognized. It is a day of thanksgiving for those
who yield to your human rights, who protect them without prejudice and who
accept your equality among its citizens with respect.
Should you believe this is a racist country, then know it is the least racist
country in the world. Should you believe this is an unfair society, then know it
is the least unfair society in the world. Should you believe you are maltreated,
then know you are the least maltreated person of all other countries in the
world. Should you believe our government is corrupt, then know it is the least
corrupt government in the world. Should you believe our economic system is
abusive, then know it is the least abusive economic system in the world. Should
you believe our children’s future is disparaging, then know they have the least
disparaging future than any other country in the world.
Independence Day is a day to reflect on what you have taken for granted: the
freedom to be whatever you choose to pursue. It is a freedom easily taken for
granted when, instead, should be taught to be appreciated. It is a freedom
easily assumed when, instead, should be taken with gratitude. It is a freedom
that grants the opportunity to be an individual among the many, and for the many
to be one under its wing. This is a day to learn what all other countries
throughout the world do not have that you do have: the freedom of independence.
To compare yourself to your neighbor, to separate haves and have-nots in this
country, is like asking why you don’t have a cherry on top of your icing to any
other citizen of another country except here. To them, it is laughable. To them,
we are so spoiled we no longer know what "poor” means. I would imagine the only
citizens of this country who can relate to any other country in this world are
the homeless bums under the freeway. They don’t have a cell phone; they don’t
have a computer; they don’t have shelter or clothing from the elements; they
don’t have a family. Unless you are one of them reading this, I’m afraid your
woes seem pretty childish to the "outside world”.
You see, the United States truly is the most freedom-giving country in the
world. It truly is the most opportunity-driven country in the world. In fact, we
are so far beyond the rest of the world in such a short time that we and they
cannot relate to each other. The rest of the world is, to us, the "outside
world” while, to them, we are the "outside world”. That is how far apart we
stand from the rest of the world. It is the fastest leap of industrial and
technological advancement that the history of the world has ever seen. And, we
take it for granted because we are safe due to our military; because we are
governed by a democracy; because we are spoiled by the very freedoms we have in
no different way than a child. In 1776, this country was a wise, old man; today,
we are infants. We have come to the half-way point of what hopefully will be a
full circle.
Our greatest freedom is also our greatest downfall: the freedom of speech. This
freedom has a fault: the listener. It is fine to speak your mind freely, but it
is not so fine for it to be imposed upon a vulnerable mind. It is not so fine to
be allowed to undermine the foundation of this country: life, equality, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. In this regard, it is the freedom of speech that
has upset the cornerstones of this country today. It is media in all its
mediums. It is media that may take any shape or form, without regard to its
obstruction of our pre-existing freedoms and its own validity that has rendered
this country in a state of uncertainty of its future. The freedom of speech
should not be so free under the topics of government, politics, economy,
environment and other nationwide policy issues that serve to develop any form of
propaganda. Rather, it should be labeled for what it is, its agenda, where and
who it comes from and any other information or warnings that the listener/viewer
should be aware of. The freedom of speech, then, is voiced to an educated
audience. Propaganda, however, is an abuse of this freedom to those who are not
previously educated on the subject. It then becomes a form of "freedom to close
a mind”, completely unaware by the listener/viewer. This is abuse of an
intellectual kind.
This Independence Day, reflect on your freedoms: the Constitution, the Bill of
Rights and the following 17 Amendments. There are reasons to be concerned of the
content of the entire 27 Amendments to the Constitution. There are reasons to
study them for both solutions as well as freedoms given to our federal
government that may need to be rescinded considering our current circumstances.
For example, a citizen of this country cannot sue the federal government. There
are numerous independent agencies that fall under the Executive Branch of the
federal government that, independently with solely their expert advice and
research, can change and modify nationwide regulations that become law without
any congressional approval. Examples of these agencies are the EPA, FCC, FDA,
CIA, FTC, SSA, SEC, et. al. This is a grave concern and a risky amount of power
to give to a President who may not have the best interests of the country on his
mind. It is these agencies that have caused the uncertainty and economic
standstill we find ourselves in today. And, it is these agencies that can
continue or derail the downturn.
July 4th has always been a day of celebration. However, given the downturn of
our domestic and foreign policy issues, we must ask ourselves this year what are
our freedoms. We must educate ourselves of those freedoms in order to know when
they are being undermined and in order to realize what we take for granted is
not free. Our freedoms are defended by our military and, ideally, the
politicians who represent us. We must unite to protect our freedoms from any
force, domestic or foreign. To do so, we must educate ourselves on where our
freedoms lie, why they are given and why they need to be defended. This
Independence Day, know that freedom does not come free. By knowing that alone,
you will conclude logically that those same freedoms can be taken away. If
nothing else, that would be a great accomplishment this July 4th. |
