"In times of change, the Patriot is a scarce man; brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot." Mark Twain by DougPD
(libertarian)
Saturday, December 15, 2007
I, like most Americans, had a civics class in High school nearly 3 decades ago, and I don't remember much about it. I had unknowingly become full of apathy towards politics and all things even closely related to politics.
Apathy: (definition) Apathy can be defined as an absence or suppression of emotion, feeling, concern or passion. Further, apathy is an indifference to things generally found to be exciting or moving. (Source: HealthOnline.com)
Freedom? Well, I lived in the United States after all, of course I was free. Yet I wasn't paying attention as these freedoms were being systematically stripped away, layer by layer. I wasn't paying attention when our last election was stolen illegally. I wasn't paying attention when the Patriot Act was passed, circumventing rights at the very heart of the Constitution. I wasn't paying attention when habeas corpus was shredded. Still, I was blissfully ignorant. (Habeas corpus: (Latin: [We command] that you have the body) is the name of a legal action, or writ, through which a person can seek relief from unlawful detention of themselves or another person. The writ of habeas corpus has historically been an important instrument for the safeguarding of individual freedom against arbitrary state action. (Source: Wikipedia).)
When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak out; I was not a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out. Friedrich Gustav Martin Niemller
One day, I ran across an article on the upcoming presidential election. They (the media's top tier candidates), all talked about the same kinds of things, how doing this or doing that would make us safer, or how creating or expanding this program or that program would make everything alright. There didn't seem to be any difference between them whether Republican or Democrat, they were Republicrats.Yes, I was apathetic alright, I didn't care. Little did I know, that I would soon learn that everything was far from alright, that I would care, care very much indeed about our United States of America.
Then, quite by accident, I heard of Dr. Ron Paul. He too is running for President. At first, I thought he was crazy like some pundits say; that his ideas were out of step with the rest of the Republican party. The more I read, the more I began to see through the veil of apathy. I began to see that the Republican party was out of step with Ron Paul, with what a true conservative Republican was supposed to be. I began to understand how 'we the people' had eroded into 'we the people' as long as it agrees with the government.
The more I read about what Ron Paul stood for, the angrier I became. Angry that I was being lied to by the media. Angry that my freedom and liberty was being taken away by an authoritarian government. Angry with myself that I had been so blind.
Never before in my life, have I been so inspired, so emotionally charged over politics. Never before have I gotten choked up, brought to tears by hearing anyone speak about anything, except perhaps at the funeral of my father. Rest assured, this is more than just about one likable, grandfatherly man. It's about a cause, an ideal, a grand experiment that began more than 230 years ago. That experiment was a government like no other in history. A government 'of the people, by the people, and for the people'. (Read the Constitution here)
It's time for 'we the people' to take our country back. It's time for a revolution. Not a new revolution mind you, but a revolution to return to the ideals brought to us by great men: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Mason, James Madison and others who believed that 'all men were created equal'. (The Founding Fathers).
The time has come to be a Patriot! 'We the people' must once again must be steadfast as patriots, standing up for this grand experiment, this ideal of liberty. To be a patriot the risk, as it was then, is great. But the reward is even greater. Even though the mainstream media tells us patriotism is blindly following the government, don't be fooled. It is NOT!
"The true patriot is motivated by a sense of responsibility and out of self-interest for himself, his family, and the future of his country to resist government abuse of power. He rejects the notion that patriotism means obedience to the state. Resistance need not be violent, but the civil disobedience that might be required involves confrontation with the state and invites possible imprisonment." Ron Paul (See Ron Paul's speech before Congress on "Who are the Patriots")
"In times of change, the Patriot is a scarce man; brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot." Mark Twain
"We, the People are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts -- not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution." President Abraham Lincoln.
The time has come fellow Americans, fellow patriots, for a rEVOLution, to find the cure for your apathy towards politics. That cure is Dr. Ron Paul.
---------------------------- About the Author I am an average American citizen, disabled from spine and head injuries. I am not a professional writer by any means and admit I am clueless on some things. I am the webmaster of "Because Truth Matters", the parent website of these articles. I have one adult son, two ex-wives, and a pug. I have made it my mission to NOT be silent anymore. To be a PATRIOT. In the words of Ronald Regan, "To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will."
When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak out; I was not a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out. Friedrich Gustav Martin Niemöller
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These were a few of the words which George Washington had read to his troops which caused them to "re-up" and fight the first American revolution: Â
 "These are the times that try men's souls." This simple quotation from Founding Father Thomas Paine's The Crisis not only describes the beginnings of the American Revolution, but also the life of Paine himself.
Funny how important things, always remain important.
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