We were treated to a shot of patriotism this week with the 4th of July. Anyone who heard any patriotic songs must have heard Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA. "I'm proud to be an American," he sang, "where at least I know I'm free." But I had to wonder. Is it still true?
We think of America as "the land of the free and the home of the brave." And we have freedoms guaranteed in our founding documents. Before the early nation would accept the Constitution, they demanded a Bill of Rights. So they protected as a matter of law things like the freedom of speech, of religion, of the press. They assured the right of citizens to bear arms. They guaranteed no illegal search and seizure. And so on. Freedoms, guaranteed. And they were proud to be Americans where at least they knew they were free. Of course, that was then; this is now. Those freedoms are no longer guaranteed. The press is free ... as long as it doesn't violate the public sentiment about what constitutes "acceptable." Speech is free as long as it doesn't say what the public won't allow. Your "free exercise of religion" is barely hanging on ... and not in all places around this country. But there are "protected classes" that have appeared long after the origins of this nation that have their freedoms fiercely protected ... even at the expense of the freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. So "sex," originally understood to refer to the "male or female sex," has morphed first into "sexual orientation" -- those who prefer sex with the same sex -- and then to "gender identity" -- those who prefer to identify as a gender different than their sex. "Sexual orientation" didn't become a protected class until 1998 by way of an Executive Order from Clinton, and "gender identity" didn't come about until 2020 in a landmark case that read back into the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a worldview that didn't exist until the last decade or so. These receive solid legal protection, while constitutionally-outlined rights languish.
I find myself proud to be an American still, but not as much as before. We no longer can be sure that we are free or, at least, how free we really are. As the nation becomes less and less safe for those who hold views that people have held since the founding up until the last century, it begins to feel less and less like the land of the free. But I suppose we'll have to be brave, won't we? At least we'll still have that in this not-as-safe zone we call "the USA."
2 comments:
We have come to a generation that hates our ancestors that fought and died for the freedoms we now (and once had?) have. They curse their forefathers for producing a land of freedom that even allowed them to hate them. What other form of government and economy has produced the affluence and freedom we have? But no, this generation hates all that because they somehow feel they deserve something better without having to put forth any effort.
Hi Stan,
It’s interesting you mention that particular song, which I heard sung recently at a summer band concert. I was not familiar with its lyrics, and when I heard the line, “Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can’t take that away,” I turned to my companion and exclaimed, “Of course they can! And they will!” And thinking of the line repeated in that song several times that goes, “and I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right [to freedom] to me” I can only think, “if men gave me that right, then men can just as easily take it away from me. And they will."
I have been an American history buff for decades, and I would guess that I have learned more about this country’s beginnings than the typical American adult. At my age (67) I certainly am no longer “proud” to be an American. I feel blessed and thankful to God that I was born to a life of relative peace and comfort in this country, but my overarching feeling is that I can no longer expect our government and other adult leaders to hold the “conservative” and sensible perspective on anything anymore, as they acquiesce to the ungodly influences and nonsensical aspects of our culture. So surely those “freedoms” heralded in sappy songs are very fleeting, indeed, as you say.
~Lorna~
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