Rome Fell But We Won't

Note: I was not yet a member of CBC when I wrote this on Planet Particular on July 4, 2013:

It would be easy to point a crooked little finger at what is wrong in the United States of America. One thinks there are not enough digits on all of our 310+ million fingers to even come close to identifying the real problems that we have in the early part of the 21st Century.

And since we as a nation tend to lurch from denial to bad things to outright outrage when something really bad happens, we need to keep the following in mind:

The entire world looks to us. They envy us.  In some cases they are outright jealous of the USA and Americans in general in some really petty ways. But many have modeled most of their post-18th century politics on us. That is a fact.  Virtually every nation in the UN has a constitution of some sort -- and the ones that don't are dangerous places indeed; North Korea and ANY country under Shar'ia Law as their basic working model come to mind.

Even the ones that DO have a constitution at times seem to be a sham document for some really dangerous people as well: Iran, Russia, and most Middle Eastern countries, as well as demagoguery-like states such as Venezuela (When Mr. Chavez was still kicking, that is) immediately come to mind on this Post-21^st Century planet.

Even many "Civilized" and "Enlightened" societies such as in Europe and Asia, their "Basic Operating System" -- their Constitution -- are under serious attack from within their own lands.  We are no different but it is happening here, Amerikan-style – stealthy, sure and silent – if we allow it to happen.

As we have our cookouts, beer bashes, block parties and even in the solitude of our own mini-castles, we need to remember three things:

1.   We Are Americans. We have a tradition of being free. We can use it or lose it.

2. The entire planet looks to we Americans for some inspiration but they deserve to be treated as equals among many. After all, who likes the neighborhood bully?  In many ways, we need to keep out red, white and blue noses out of other affairs of state that are not our business. 

3.  No matter how bad things seem or how you may feel about our cherished freedoms being marginalized, threatened or just plain yanked out from under our blood-soaked feet, take heart, fellow Americans and citizens of this small mote of dirt in the Universe: We are still a free people as long as we defend our rights and not let anyone -- ever -- take them away.

A Happy Fourth of July to you and your cherished ones -- and to the brave and courageous citizens of Egypt who today toppled their own band of bandits.  Freedom and liberty are not just American principles -- they are universal.