Recently my father's lung cancer has spread. He is now in Stage IV and while his cancer is not curable the doctors say that it is treatable (whatever that means). Two of my close friends have lost their fathers to the same disease; one in February and one this month.
This diary could be written about the evils of Philip Morris and the tobacco industry. Honestly though I'm not at all angry with the manufacturers of cigarettes right now. My thoughts keep coming back to my father's condition.
My father, 71, has worked his entire life since the age of 14. For the last 25 years he worked for General Motors in Flint, Michigan as a pipe-fitter. Twelve hours a day, seven days a week, he worked in a factory. Most of that time was third shift which meant that he worked during the night and slept all day. He raised me alone since I was eleven when his wife, my mother, passed away.
One would think working so hard he would be secure enough in old age to retire. Yet when he stopped working to have his cancer treated his common refrain was, "I'll be back working in a couple months...I can't afford to retire."
This isn't an attack on Social Security. He will have enough money to eat and have shelter and have clothes. It is just that I can't shake the sickening feeling I get to know that such a man as him who has never lived a lavish life or spent unwisely isn't secure enough to retire even as he is dying of cancer.
I've thought about his life nearly constantly over the past few weeks. The quote from Macbeth that is repeated often is so very true though:
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
What has his life of hard labor earned him? A slow, painful death? He toiled half the hours of his life for the profit of General Motors and never got to enjoy the leisure his labor should have earned him.
The non-impeachment, impeachment hearing in the House Judiciary Committee yesterday made me think just how close we are to truly losing our Republic.
What is it that scares Congress into inaction? Rep. Mel Watts says he would rather focus on important things like health care, education...meanwhile the entire structure of our government is under attack. Without checks and balances we are heading dangerously close to despotism.
Every member of congress, as is true of my father, will find themselves aged and dying. More importantly, all of us will be old or failing that will surely die. Why should we be afraid? We know what is right and good and it is not to sit idle while our government is usurped.
Already it's true that 2% of the nation controls 50% of the wealth. Already we find ourselves working night and day and losing our homes, not being able to pay off our medical bills, not being able to send our children to college, and not feeling secure in retirement in old age. Already it is true that Non-Governmental Organizations hold more power than some countries.
But at least we have some semblance of freedom. At least we can claim a small measure of liberty, the luxury of which all the other burdens seem not so heavy to bear.
As FISA shows though we make not even have this small measure of freedom left soon. I fear the ultimate goal is to turn the people of America and perhaps the world into working automatons, ants that go about securing the wealth and leisure of our masters.
This is what we have to live with now:
We are constantly bombarded with propaganda.
We are constantly bombarded with marketing propaganda.
Our laws protect the wealthy while keeping the poor in check.
Education is used to keep the population dumbed down (see Swift's A Tale of a Tub).
Members of Congress have been overtly recruited by Corporations and wealthy citizens for their own gains.
Separation of Church and State is threatened.
The 2nd Amendment has been misinterpreted.
The 4th Amendment has been attacked constantly
Congress has both expanded its power too broadly (commerce clause) and not exercised its proper power as a check on the Executive (Congress alone can declare war; Only Congress can make inferior courts.
Habeas Corpus has been threatened
We have been defrauded billions of dollars from the Executive
Through our Executive, the people of the United States have paid the costs of an illegal war, causing the murder of over 1 million Afghan and Iraqi people and the lost of over 4000 American lives.
Of course the real problem is the big fortunes of this country. We can solve that herculean task after we have restored the Constitution and taken the reigns of government out of the hands of evil men.
Just remember that life isn't so valuable without freedom. Remind members of Congress that the Founding Fathers founded this country while fearing that they would be hung by the neck. If they don't have courage then we should lend them ours. If they fear the tyrant George than let's sacrifice our bodies. There may come a time soon when there is no turning back from the abyss. It will be a sad day if, when I am 71 and dying, I am alive to witness a world in which Americans are not free.