Happy Birthday USA

I want to wish America a happy birthday from the depths of my heart. Despite the current political climate, and failings of many of our show case institutions, it remains the greatest country on earth, in my humble opinion. Just as it's people, Democrat,Republican, Independent, black, white, red, brown, yellow, rich, middle class, poor, believer or atheist are wonderful as well.

Earlier today President Bush addressed the West Virginia Air National Guard and I was struck by how truly out of touch with reality and the history of this great nation he was. Especially the principles for which our Founders wrote and crafted the government of the country. No, I am not going to touch on subjects previously and thoroughly critiqued and analyzed here and elsewhere. I want to take issue with several points in the President's speech today and let you the reader see the total misrepresentation of the history and principles this Nation rose from.

The biggest misnomer and misrepresentation Mr. Bush made today was in comparing our troops in the Iraq conflict to those who fought for freedom in the revolution. Excuse me Mr. Bush, those troops are not over there as the "citizen army" our Founders raised to fight the oppressive occupiers. They are the occupiers, and have transformed a prosperous peaceful nation into something from Dante's "Inferno". The troops are not to blame though it is you Mr. Bush and our leaders who allowed us to try to impose "our ideology and believes" on the people of Iraq. I do not recall any fiery cries of "give me liberty or give me death".

To "impose" an ideology and political system upon a people is the antithesis of a democracy. And a democracy cannot succeed if it's people are not willing to strive for it on their own (a lesson we have forgotten, and the reason this administration has gotten away with it's criminal and unconstitutional misconduct). Where are our guardians as well? Why, in a recent poll do 40% of Americans believe that a portion of the 9/11 hijackers were Iraqi nationals? Could it be that we have been hypnotized by too many sound bites the media repeatedly replay for their "insiders information? Thomas Jefferson wrote:

"Our citizens may be deceived for awhile, and have been deceived; but as long as the presses can be protected, we may trust to them for light." --Thomas Jefferson to Archibald Stuart. 1799.

However later Jefferson warned:

"The press is impotent when it abandons itself to falsehood."--Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Seymour, 1807.

We are not "fighting for freedom" as George Bush would have us believe. To fight for freedom means one chooses the manner, and whether or not to engage in conflict. That my fellow Americans and brethren of the world is the lie that our current political leaders have tried to rewrite this nation's history to represent. It does not hide or change the truths of our past. Do not compare your current debacle Mr. Bush with the proud visions and heritage of our Founders and Revolutionary Army thought won this nation's independence. I give you this final insight from Thomas Jefferson that had you heeded it, you would have realized your initial goal and justification for this war was unattainable:

"Instead of that liberty which takes root and growth in the progress of reason, if recovered by mere force or accident, it becomes with an unprepared people a tyranny still of the many, the few, or the one." --Thomas Jefferson to Lafayette, 1815. ME 14:245

Happy Birthday America.