As the fireworks fill the night sky on the 232nd Independence Day of America, now it’s the time for some introspecting.
I witnessed my first 4th of July extravaganza in 1998, my 1st year in the US as a transplanted immigrant. To be in the “land of the free” was a great accomplishment, that sustained me through the tough times, both financial and emotional. The sensation was that everything is possible; with hard labor any dream can become a reality – in the US of A.
Today, America has lost its luster, both to the world and internally. After almost eight years of the Bush administration presiding over the choices and freedoms of the American people, it is evident that a lot of damage has been done to the statue of Liberty – its patina depicts an aging of outdated ideas and acts.
On Independence Day, there are 4,113 fallen soldiers that lost their lives fighting an invasive war in Iraq, thousands of miles away from home. This second Vietnam has no lesser effect to the lives of the families that lost their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and relatives – to the pretext of freedom fighting. One man’s ego has led these men and women to an untimely death – all 4,113 of them so far.
With elections approaching fast in less than 120 days, now it’s the time to ponder about the words that politicians use with regards to what constitutes freedom, independence and patriotism. While the US liberated Europe in WWII and offered its strong arm assisting the distraught European nations, today’s America is not a liberator – it’s an enforcer of political will unrelated to the basics that this great nation was built on. Americans cannot sustain four more years of conservative, aggressive, insanely uncivilized politicians like Bush and Cheney through a McCain presidency.
On this Independence Day, let’s watch the movie “Born on the 4th of July” to realize that freedom is not gained by launching and perpetuating wars but by ending conflicts, ensuring international cooperation and symbiosis, educating the people and by reaching out in the middle of the fire to cease it.
The fireworks are definitely beautiful – but war isn’t.
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