"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke
I work for a large bank and recently we received an email advising all employees how to conduct themselves around the Wall Street Protesters since they are rumoured to start a protest in our area soon. One of my friends got very upset and was concerned over safety. I reminded her that all of the protests have been peaceful protests. It is merely groups of people who have united across the country to raise awareness of the situation in the world today. However, this didn't calm my friend down. "They are protesting outside of banks and they should be stopped." She said.
"They that give up liberty to obtain temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin
I feel strong about certain things and my freedoms, which are guaranteed in the Constitution of the Unites States of America, are on the top of this list. Living in another country taught me to appreciate what others sometimes take for granted. Unfortunately, I can also be blunt and outspoken so before I could stop myself I hear myself saying, "What are you saying? As Americans, we have the right to peaceful assembly and we have the right to free speech. These people are exercising these rights and no one should have the right to prevent them from expressing their views as long as it is a peaceful protest. In fact, if anyone were to try to stop them I would be tempted to go outside and join them. When my civil liberties are threatened, I have no intention of quietly surrendering. Some things are worth fighting for."
"You have enemies? Good! That means you stood up for something at some time during your life."
Winston Churchill
My friend was speechless for a minute and then she rambled on about what it is costing the cities for the extra security. I replied "Good. That means someone is getting overtime pay but you clearly only heard one side. Think of this, each protester has to eat and drink. Most of these folks will purchase food, snacks, and beverages which means that the local business increase their sales plus the sales tax from these purchases goes back into the city to help pay for the cost of the security. To be honest, I am not happy with the state of this nation either. Although I am not protesting publicly, my opinion is not going to be defined by some reporter or politician who wants the protesters to look like they are wrong simply because their statements make the bankers, investors, and politicians uncomfortable." She became silent after that and we began to talk of other things.
"An appeaser is one who will feed a crocodile hoping it will eat him last."
Winston Churchill
I had some concerns over voicing my views in a public blog and almost decided not to write this. Then it occurred to me that people who I love have put their lives on the line to protect our freedom of speech so the day that I am unable to freely voice an opinion, whether in writing or verbally, is the day that we are no longer free. There is definitely a sense of unrest in our country today. America is strong because of it's people but the people of this country had become apathetic and indifferent. We have become a spoiled nation who can name the contestants on dancing with the stars but cannot name the people who are influential in passing our laws. As a nation we focused on our entertainment and creature comforts as our jobs were outsourced , factories were shut down, laws were passed which inhibit our rights to survive off of the land which makes us dependent rather than independent, our food became genetically modified causing an increase in the number of cancer deaths yet medical care remains expensive and inadequate, unemployment rates rise along with the cost of living so the numbers of homeless and hungry people increase and Americans missed the warning signs because their eyes were focused on their telvision sets and the warnings could not be heard over the music coming from their ipods.
"...eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. It behooves you, therefore, to be watchful in your States as well as in the Federal Government." Andrew Jackson
We have become an apathetic nation. Now that people are not only waking up but are also speaking up authorities are asking "How dare you?" My response is "We dare because this governmment compromised the people of this country while our attention was elsewhere. We dare because we are free to do so."
Wake up America.
"If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too." -- Somerset Maugham
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