America: Land of the Free and the Brave?
Michael C. Morris
July 05, 2006
Recently, the Chronicles news media sites went down. Conspiracy theories abounded. My own theory was that an EMP pulse or Alien ray beam took the server out! But one theory that raised eyebrows was that the Government had shut down the site. It was this theory that sparked a realization, and a fight, that within my own family, a fear runs deep when the word “Government” is used. Not the fear of a terrorist attack, but the fear that The United States of America, our government, is something to fear.
My fiancé worked for a company in New York that took a direct hit in 911. Over 400 of her friends and colleagues were killed with a direct hit to their offices by one plane. She also lost many friends in the other tower. After 911 her company moved to another high value target area, Times Square, in New York. I watched every day as she commuted from Philadelphia to New York without a visible fear in her eyes. She would tell me about the police and guns in the area and the changes during high level events, but she never had a fear in her eyes.
When I told her that one of the theories of why the Chronicles site went down was that the Government had shut the site down, it immediately sparked a response of panic and fear that exploded into an argument. As her eyes glazed with fear she demanded to know if “they” knew our address. Do they know where we live? Her fear was that the MIB (Men in Black) would enter in the dark of night, kill the dogs and wisk us away to an unknown location with no legal representation or rights. To be fair, if you ask her why she did this, her answer would be that it is common sense. If you stir up a hornet’s nest there is going to be trouble. My reply has been that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights guarantee Americans the right to have a free press and the right of free speech. Her reply, “the Government does not care about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights”.
The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are more than just pen and paper. These documents are the foundation of the greatest nation on earth because our founding fathers put aside personal agendas and greed and created a nation where the best attributes of society are rewarded and the worst have no place. The nation created was one based on equality, moral ethics and innate sense of right and wrong. The Government was created with a balance of three branches and a CLEAR set of Rights that should not be infringed. Fear was never in the Constitution or Bill of Rights and a Government that uses fear, only does so to control society.
A national survey should be conducted and the question should be “Do you believe that the Government no longer represents the people of the United States and if you answer yes, do you feel if you make your concerns publicly known, do you fear Government retaliation against you for expressing those options?” If more than 50% answer as my fiancé did, then let me state a fact.
The Constitution and Bill of Rights are dead or at least on life support. Either way, The United States of America no longer exists because if the basic ideals that our founding fathers placed into the Constitution and Bill of Rights are being ignored by our Government, then no matter how we want to spin it, the house America is built on does not exist as the foundation has or is crumbling away.
My fiancé worked for a company in New York that took a direct hit in 911. Over 400 of her friends and colleagues were killed with a direct hit to their offices by one plane. She also lost many friends in the other tower. After 911 her company moved to another high value target area, Times Square, in New York. I watched every day as she commuted from Philadelphia to New York without a visible fear in her eyes. She would tell me about the police and guns in the area and the changes during high level events, but she never had a fear in her eyes.
When I told her that one of the theories of why the Chronicles site went down was that the Government had shut the site down, it immediately sparked a response of panic and fear that exploded into an argument. As her eyes glazed with fear she demanded to know if “they” knew our address. Do they know where we live? Her fear was that the MIB (Men in Black) would enter in the dark of night, kill the dogs and wisk us away to an unknown location with no legal representation or rights. To be fair, if you ask her why she did this, her answer would be that it is common sense. If you stir up a hornet’s nest there is going to be trouble. My reply has been that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights guarantee Americans the right to have a free press and the right of free speech. Her reply, “the Government does not care about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights”.
The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are more than just pen and paper. These documents are the foundation of the greatest nation on earth because our founding fathers put aside personal agendas and greed and created a nation where the best attributes of society are rewarded and the worst have no place. The nation created was one based on equality, moral ethics and innate sense of right and wrong. The Government was created with a balance of three branches and a CLEAR set of Rights that should not be infringed. Fear was never in the Constitution or Bill of Rights and a Government that uses fear, only does so to control society.
A national survey should be conducted and the question should be “Do you believe that the Government no longer represents the people of the United States and if you answer yes, do you feel if you make your concerns publicly known, do you fear Government retaliation against you for expressing those options?” If more than 50% answer as my fiancé did, then let me state a fact.
The Constitution and Bill of Rights are dead or at least on life support. Either way, The United States of America no longer exists because if the basic ideals that our founding fathers placed into the Constitution and Bill of Rights are being ignored by our Government, then no matter how we want to spin it, the house America is built on does not exist as the foundation has or is crumbling away.
Print
Email
