flag waving will get us nowhere

In the United States of America, September 11 is counted as a day of mourning. For me it is doubly so. It marks the end of our feelings of isolation from the ills that have afflicted the rest of the world. War has come to our doorstep and spread across our land. Although we do not have tanks in the streets at this time, we all feel a sense of vulnerability and unease. So we beg our political leaders to make our home a fortress. And they have. We have given our liberty for "safety."

But are we really safe? Since that fateful day eight years ago, we have blindly sat by and allowed a Gestapo-like security force to gain power. We have allowed the judiciary, legislature, and executive to each usurp our rights until they are only laughable memories and our constitution has no more value than to line the bird's cage. But we won't laugh long.

I love to read. At the present time, I can still buy any book I desire. There is not censorship yet, or at least I haven't heard of any. The study of history is one of my interests. I can't say it is often enjoyable, but it is enlightening. Lately, I've been reading a historical fiction series set in Europe in the 1930s that is giving me nightmares, because it mirrors so well the political climate of the United States of America at this time. It paints a picture of what did happen as Hitler gained control of much of Europe. The lies, brutality, racism, anti-religion, propaganda, and fear became a way of life.

We must pray. We must not turn our backs on those that stand against the new tyranny. We must talk to each other and teach our children truth. We must stop amusing ourselves and open our eyes. So instead of buying in to all the false patriotism of the day, do a bit of research on Nazi Germany and Socialist Russia. Learn the differences and similarities between socialism and fascism. Make the connections between Hitler, Stalin, Bush, and Obama. Make the deaths of those innocent people meaningful, before we become the United States Socialist Republic, sacrificing all for the Fatherland. Flag waving will get us nowhere.