Today marks 229 years since the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord.
In retrospect, perhaps it would have been better for those patriots on the green to throw down their muskets and go home.
The case may be made that American citizens would have been better off as British subjects. After all, the British only wanted a stamp tax and payment for the garrisoning of troops that were in the colonies to protect us.
Not a bad deal, especially when you consider how far we’ve fallen in this country, which was once supposed to be some “shining city upon a hill.”
The United States, once rightfully called, “The land of the free and the home of the brave,” is now one of the most legalistic and paranoid societies on earth.
Since the events of Sept. 11, we have allowed ourselves to be buffaloed into supporting such vulgar anti-liberty bills like the PATRIOT Act and the war on Iraq. So much for the ideals of Franklin that, “Those who would trade liberty for security deserve neither.”
Let’s face it, we live under a government right now, and have lived under such governments since at least 1917, that is worse than the British crown that we revolted against in that near ancient day 229 years ago.
It is as if we have lost our sense of who we are as a people, and have instead surrendered our rights to the increasing creature comforts of the modern age.
Indeed, comfort is probably the word that would be best used to describe the society that we live in.
We demand immunity from the world, whether in the shape of banning smoking from bars to the regulation of television because people watching a modern gladiatorial contest were offended by the sight of a bared breast.
Can we do anything to stem the tide of lost rights and the increasing vulgarization of the American people?
Probably not.
Conservatism has failed, as nearly every issue they have latched onto over the past 50 years has fallen by the wayside (be it the right to free association, gun rights, opposition to state influence in the economy, or sodomy laws).
Libertarianism is regarded by many as a joke, and liberalism got us into the cultural morass that we’re in today.
At this point I am reminded of Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol” where he would ask, “Spirit give comfort to me.”
Unfortunately, the only comforting factor for me in the whole debate on our future is the hope that our generation somehow manages to actually live up to the founding ideals of this country.
This may be too much to expect as our generation is running neck and neck with our parents’ to see which one acts more childish and spoiled.
But am I depressed about these changes?
Hell no. In fact, I see a whole line of jobs appearing to help expand our economy, and make up for the loss of all of those tech jobs that were supposed to replace the manufacturing jobs (but, who in the government really cares about older white ethnics).
1. Lackey. This position will be for be available to those who are able to cater to the whims of spoilt government officials and pop stars. Requires knee pads and, at the request of the distinguished gentleman from Georgia, a “real Purdy mouth.”
2. Document Shredder: Without a doubt, due to our many imperial adventures, there will come a time when certain “unfortunate” information, be it pictures or print, need to be destroyed. Your job is to make sure that these materials stay below the surface, or at least until after the next election.
3. Thought police: Make sure that no one around you ever tells a
racist joke, speaks disrespectfully about the government, or dares mention the newly “forbidden” past. Allowed to use deadly force if necessary.
I wish every a very happy Patriot’s day and encourage everyone to think about the type of society they wish to live in.