We Pledge

Let's face it. America stinks. I mean, look at the (current) history reports. All of our Founding Fathers were racist, white supremacist, sexist scum. White people came to this country to kill Native Americans and enslave black people. We are the grand Imperialists, the rich, white nation ... we are evil at the core. At least, that's what they're telling us ... while they assure us they love this nation. While voices call for the end of America in its entirety, we silence those who call for traditional American values. Because America, at its core, is rotten.

During World War II, America sent her men and women to war. Americans at home willingly sacrificed for defending freedom in Europe and protecting America from Japanese aggression. Mothers went to work. Fathers went to war. People sacrificed. Historians estimate that 420,000 Americans died in that war. But Americans thought that freedom was worth it. Something changed after that. We grudginly sent troops to defend South Korea against North Korean incursion and some 54,000 Americans died. But, we tolerated it. The subsequent generation, however, would have none of the same in Vietnam. Those that went to southeast Asia to stop the spread of Communism were labeled "baby killers." We wouldn't tolerate sacrifice for the freedom of others, and America tucked her tail and ran. Freedom was no longer worth the price.

The Founding Fathers considered human rights to be a divine right. They stood up to an overwhelming force and declared independence. They said, "For the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." Today's society belittles them, erasing them from public view. We know better now. We know that freedom isn't worth the paper it's printed on. We know that the Bill of Rights is an outdated document. They pledged their lives, fortunes, and honor in defense of mutual freedom. The rise of individual over community has given us the attitude, "I'll pry my freedoms from your cold, dead fingers." But I think that the real difference between those who sacrificed for the freedom of others and our society today is found in that first phrase. They had "a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence." If you have reliance on the Divine, sacrifice comes much easier. Not for us. We've evicted the Divine. Now all we have us our own selves. We've built a scary world.