Any American with even an ounce of awareness can see that the rights and freedoms that we as a nation have enjoyed, have boasted about to the world that are the fundamental bedrock of our system of government, are slowly and inexorably being stripped from us under the guise of “security” from terrorism.
This, of course, has been the mantra of authoritarians from time immemorial: we must take away your freedom, in order to give you security.
The United States of America was founded on a fundamentally different principle: Our freedom IS our security. If you take away one, you take away the other.
There has been much talk lately – as we see the repressive Patriot Act passed yet again with most of its egregious freedom-killing clauses intact, as we see the Administration blatantly breaking the law against eavesdropping on American citizens without a court order, and the congressional response to this lawbreaking is to pass a law making it legal – what can we do?
Some feel are consumed with a powerless rage. Some feel compelled to communicate with their congressional representatives, and compile scrapbooks of their canned replies. Some tell us that the solution lies at the ballot box in November.
I believe we cannot wait until November, and we cannot rely only on our politicians. As we have been reminded all too often recently, too many of our politicians are finger-in-the-air followers. We, the people, must lead them.
I propose that we, the people, organize American Freedom Day, a day on which Americans – in every city, town and village, in churches, synagogues, social clubs, parks, and backyards – celebrate the freedoms that we hold so dear, and send a clear message to those who would take them away that they do so at their peril.
We will celebrate our freedom to speak our minds, to debate the issues, to criticize our government, to question authority.
We will celebrate our freedom to believe in God – or not – and our freedom to celebrate that belief in the manner we choose.
We will celebrate our freedom to be who we are as individuals, not who others want us to be.
We will celebrate the freedom of women to control their own bodies.
We will celebrate our freedom to retain our privacy from government intrusion.
We will celebrate our freedom to control our own lives without government interference.
I propose we, the people, pick a day – in April or May – for this celebration, a Saturday or Sunday.
How do we celebrate? It should be up to the local organizers what works best for their locale, for their group.
We could hold American Freedom Day parades.
We can publicly read the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights.
We can sponsor American Freedom Day picnics.
We can sponsor essay contests or drawing contests in the local schools “What Does American Freedom Mean to Me?”
Whatever we choose (and I’m sure others can be much more creative than the few ideas I’ve posted here), the most important element is that we all gather together with our families, our friends, our communities, and publicly proclaim that our freedoms are important, that we will not tolerate anyone who proposes to take them away.
I’m just one little guy with an idea, an idea that, to be successful, will require thousands of other “little guys” just like me to make it happen. Is there anyone else out there who, like me, is tired of screaming at computer screens and television screens in helpless rage? Are there others who will stand up in their communities, and rally their neighbors to make this happen?
People, we are losing our freedom, we are losing our country. We must stand up together – each in our own community – and celebrate our freedom as a way to keep from losing it.
American Freedom Day.
Our freedom IS our security.
