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Independence day
Independence Day
It’s that time of year again. For the past 237 years, Americans have been celebrating American freedom from Britain. However, it is notable that many Americans celebrate without knowing the full story behind the day.
Independence Day really should have been on July 2, the day that America was approved by Congress to be legally separated from King George’s power. July 4th was simply the date that the Declaration of Independence was revised and approved by the Committee of Five (headed by Thomas Jefferson), though the decision that the Declaration explained had already been put into motion. Interestingly enough, many historians believe that the Declaration wasn’t even signed until a month later in August. Jefferson had wrote to his wife on the 3rd, telling her that for generations people would be celebrating July 2nd with festivals, parties, and games because that was the day it was legally independent. Unfortunately, he was just two days off.
Every Independence Day should be an enjoyable day for all Americans, but for some there is the reminder of what we have lost and gained since 1776. Of course, Americans have advanced since the seventeen hundreds. The Declaration’s promise of equality for all men finally expanded to women and people of all races. Freedom of religion and speech has been fiercely promoted (though not without a good deal of mishaps). Unfortunately, though the founding fathers may be proud of what their people have become in some ways, they would be just about crazy if they found out some of the actions of our American leaders today.
The Declaration of Independence, in the second half, has a full list of the reasons why they decided to separate from King George. They complained that King George made new offices, let their officers harass the people, imposed taxes without the people’s consent, and refused to make laws to accommodate large districts of people. You may think that the government has since done none of these things, but, to be blunt: annoying (possibly harassing) e-mails and advertisements promoting the new offices, taxes to help with the national debt, and gerrymandering.
And yes, those things are all annoying – raising taxes is no fun, trying to avoid the political promotions is tiresome, and gerrymandering is just straight ridiculous, but it’s nothing more than normal wear-and-tear of any Government over a few years old, and we are still quite young. So maybe these little blips in our government history don’t bother you enough to get too mad about it, however, there are some instances where a little rage should be encouraged.
Let’s get started on the Patriot Act. For one, it should be explained. USA PATRIOT rolls nicely off the tongue, and perhaps Jefferson would have himself coined a similar term, but it’s seriously doubtful that he would dream of allowing what is does. It stands for Uniting (and) Strengthening America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism. That sounds great doesn’t it? I mean, we do want our government to protect us from the terrorists trying to ruin our “independent” and “efficient” government, so why not sit back and enjoy the Patriot Act? Well, here’s why.
The act was passed by President George Bush Jr. right after the 9/11 terrorist attack. Considering what a huge decision this was, there seemed to be little thought put into the decision – it was a choice made out of fear and desperation. One Congressman admitted that many didn’t even read it before they passed it. Now, because of the Rally Round the Flag effect that ensued after the tragic attack, many started whipping out their flag t-shirts and chanting their support. But then they realized what an awful decision it really was. The act lowered the standard in which the government could tap into private phone calls, e-mails, texts, and so on. The act allows voicemails to be searched through a warrant instead of a wiretap order. Some are even beginning to believe that the government uses the act to search through information about potential judges and officials in order to find some that will most likely aid them (this, however, is speculative).
The act allows officials to “obtain any tangible thing,” relevant to a terrorist actions, even if they can’t prove the connection to terrorism – you can see how this causes a problem, considering it totally violates search and seizure rights. The act allows officials to wiretap without identifying the person or why that person is being wiretapped. Drones have even been used to in the US to spy on legal US citizens.
There are many controversies with USA PATRIOT, and there are many controversies outside of the act, such as the right to bear arms (which, I must say, is written explicitly in the Amendments). Some people, like recent whistleblower Edward Snowden, are trying to oust some parts of the government that most Americans aren’t aware of, and would be appalled if they find out. However, whether you agree or disagree with everything in this article, one thing is for certain: on Independence Day, you need to celebrate the freedoms you have now, because it looks like the years after this, you’ll have much less to celebrate.
Source: http://survivalcavefood.com/index.php/blog/independence-day/
