“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
The Declaration of Independence
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These are important ideals. They are the foundations of our civilization in the United States- they haven’t been lived up to, but fought for. The dark history that is American history isn’t one we like to stomach or celebrate, unless it is the wins. Those come after a long struggle. A struggle for people to be free. Free to live, free to pursue happiness. That freedom is being fought against today.
The reality is the United States has always had some problems. The majority of it comes from the creation of poverty cycles. Keep them poor and they will have to work jobs that are dangerous, dehumanizing, and detrimental to their health. The profit margins and payouts to the top have decimated the middle class and poor people- people who work full time and still have to apply for government assistance. While their labor funneled up creates millionaires and billionaires. An education became a way out of poverty, a way to be more than you were, to think, to conceptualize new heights and to solve new and fascinating issues. But the money machine got it and found the old saying true “The borrower is slave to the lender” And now we have billions in student loan debts and degrees that didn’t elevate the mind but gave people the OZ certificate. And they needed it just to move up in their careers to do a job they already knew how to do. But it is the cycle of poverty that keeps people in line. They watch bullshit news stories. They are told what is important and who to blame. They do this without being able to think for themselves, because when it comes time to do so, they are tired from just trying to survive. About 80 million Americans didn’t even vote last year. That is about one third of the adult population. They sat out important issues for whatever reason. What they lose in not taking part and paying attention is their pursuit of freedom.
Looking at the laws that are being proposed, and that are being passed in “Red” states, one cannot help but be horrified.
There are three basic types of laws:
Criminal, this is a crime- it has this type of punishment: go to jail, pay a fine, death.
Civil, your company discriminated against a person because their religion, you hurt this person so you have to pay them back, or you broke this contract agreement- it needs to be honored.
Administrative, This is how we are going to run the government.
I am not a lawyer, nor do I claim to be a legal expert- which in a fair society; the law shouldn’t be so complicated. But I digress. The laws that are being proposed are creating criminals out of people who are good and upstanding citizens- just because their natural inclination towards the same sex. Which is not a crime to love who you naturally love. And before you start screaming pedophiles, they prey on the poor kids, they live in churches, they volunteered for the scouts and to lead sports teams. They hide like “Nice” guys. Drag Queens aren’t trying to bang your kids, the youth pastor is. When laws intrude on our personal freedom, our freedom to express ourselves, our freedom to protest, our freedom to be- they are unjust and oppressive creating criminals out of a minority group that just wants to be free.
There is a lot to cover when it comes to human rights. Women’s rights are human rights, and they too are being pushed down, especially in religious countries. The good old US of A is no exception. As the religious take power, regular people suffer. Because religious people who seek power don’t do it to be righteous, they do it so they have control over those who would not follow. They would take away anyone’s liberty and claim they were under attack. They do it as they pass laws that strip women of freedom. It is always women who lose in these situations…
Anyway.
I am out of time.
Getting involved and understanding the issues isn’t a way of life for Americans anymore, but it used to be. We used to try to be informed locally, and know who is who. We really need to find a way back to that. The people we elect need to matter more than the party. We need honorable and hard working people. People who don’t take the bribe of big money, but realize Social security is the retirement plan for most working class Americans. That billionaires have taken more than their share and robbed their employees of a living wage for decades.
Oh, shit, I am out of time.
later Gator 🐊
Nino
Nino Olson 