nirbhao

it's July Fourth. In theory, we are celebrating America's independence from tyranny. in reality, we just like an excuse to party.

we easily forget that Thomas Jefferson, one of the key members of the revolution, saw the exercize of revolution in and of itself important and felt that it should happen every twenty years. we are long overdue.

we forget that Benjamin Franklin, one of the most brilliant minds of his time, felt that the bird that should symbolize our country should be a turkey, a hardy, practical, intelligent bird, as opposed to the eagle, a preening scavenger. we actually chose our country's bird quite appropriately.

we forget that George Washington, who had the opportunity for absolute power, refused it because he knew that this country deserved a republic government to best serve its people. over time, however, we have turned the presidency into a dictatorship.

but we are priviledged in that we are able to criticize our government openly in word and in action, that we are able to assemble and educate ourselves on how to empower ourselves. we are fortunate that we can debate which freedoms are most valuable to us. regardless of how biased our informants may be, we can still get news about our government. regardless of how unjust our "conflicts" may be, our military is still entirely built of adult volunteers.

so be active, independent, and educated. that is true patriotism.