For most of my life I was told that in a sleepy little village in a mountainous region of Greece there stands a statue of one of my ancient relatives who died courageously leading a resistance movement against the Persians. As a young man, most of this story went in one ear and out the other with only specks sticking to my young mind. After curiously looking into my long lost Grecian tragedy, I came to realized that my relative lost his life and tragically lost in his fight for freedom, freedom for his family and freedom for his country. I wondered what would drive a man, or for that matter a woman, to sacrifice a life of bondage and servitude for the mere chance of freedom.
It was hard to believe that in a country that brought the world Democracy, such a violation of human rights could occur. My family had to leave this intolerant foreign ruler that strangled them with taxes and smothered their God given rights. It must have been hard for them to leave a land that was theirs for thousands of years. It must have been so hard. So, after generations of failed resistance our family eventually found freedom in a far off land called America.
The tapestry of America is woven with millions of similar stories. These stories are more than tales of why we’re here but describe the character of most Americans. It could almost be called the fabric of America. For this fabric doesn’t take kindly to oppression and fiscal strangulation. You could say that most people that have made it this far are not going to leave because their government has turned corrupt and has passed intolerable laws against their will. They will stand and resist, first peaceably and if necessary with a force of 300 million stories of oppression and degradation of the human spirit.
So, as the 300 Spartans from my family’s mountainous hometown in Greece held back ignorance and oppression from the world, our 300 million freedom-loving Americans will stand up against the same, and will preserve the rights mankind has journeyed and fought so long and hard for.
It was hard to believe that in a country that brought the world Democracy, such a violation of human rights could occur. My family had to leave this intolerant foreign ruler that strangled them with taxes and smothered their God given rights. It must have been hard for them to leave a land that was theirs for thousands of years. It must have been so hard. So, after generations of failed resistance our family eventually found freedom in a far off land called America.
The tapestry of America is woven with millions of similar stories. These stories are more than tales of why we’re here but describe the character of most Americans. It could almost be called the fabric of America. For this fabric doesn’t take kindly to oppression and fiscal strangulation. You could say that most people that have made it this far are not going to leave because their government has turned corrupt and has passed intolerable laws against their will. They will stand and resist, first peaceably and if necessary with a force of 300 million stories of oppression and degradation of the human spirit.
So, as the 300 Spartans from my family’s mountainous hometown in Greece held back ignorance and oppression from the world, our 300 million freedom-loving Americans will stand up against the same, and will preserve the rights mankind has journeyed and fought so long and hard for.
1 comment:
Well said Nick, and yes, sadly, it may come to that. The corruption and even well-intentioned but misguided legislation is stripping away the freedom fought for in so many battles, won over so many dead, that we cannot turn our backs.
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