What have we done, oh fellow citizens, to permit the changes that those in power have wrought to stand unopposed?  How have we arrived at a point where fair-weather patriots and summer soldiers stand idly by while our nation is pushed ever-closer toward ideals and principles that undermine our very existence, our national soul?

Will we permit the next election, already in danger of usurpation by a growing expertise with manipulation, to pass from our midst with voter disenfranchisement unchallenged and unverified results accepted, and nary a whimper to mark the passing of democracy from this land of free?

Is this the pledge we will soon be left to chant in our schools and in our halls, where justice and freedom once ruled?

I pledge subservience
to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic
for which it once stood:
An empire,
under surveillance,
Without Liberty and Justice at all.

Can we do nothing but accept the rule imposed upon us?  Can we not push back the incoming tide and change the course of this miasma of distortion and lies?

Must we endure the passage of time and hope that with the end of this administration’s time in office, the national nightmare will suddenly be over?

Are we unable to prevent the calamitous continuation of aggressive war and wanton destruction while this wayward Congress fails, at each and every turn, to impose oversight and accountability on the runaway abuses of the Executive Branch?

I think not.

Do not give up.  Do not abide by the feeling that we are unable to intervene or powerless to stop this rampage.

At this point in time, we are in fact the last best chance to come together and impose our will, to incite others to support our freedoms, and to negate the overwhelming hypocrisy that supports and further engenders the principles and paradoxes of this corrupt cancer upon our nation.

Be strong.

Be true.

Be steadfast in resolve.

We don’t have to sit idly by until the current Administration’s term expires. Indeed, we may not have the opportunity to wait much longer if our goal is to ensure the safety and security of our nation, particularly if we believe that our very soul as a nation is tied to our ability to negate the drive toward more war of aggression and suppress the illogical, unconstitutional attempts to justify torture under the guise of mere “aggressive” interrogation.

Keep pounding at the walls.  Repeat the truth to power against the lies that obscure it.  Cry out against attempts to disenfranchise or compromise our votes.  Challenge any who would propagate talking points, half-truths and lies in the corporate world and traditional media.

Most important, vote, and help others to do so.  Insist upon a verifiable ballot.  Ensure that others will join with you to prevent negation of your votes and your voice.

This is it, people. Now we must shine, ere the light of liberty forever be permanently diminished, if not extinguished entirely.

Let’s rock the nation, and wake those who have been dead to the dangers of complacecy, together.