This diary should have come a long time ago. I write this now in hopes there is still a silent majority out there that will have ears to hear and eyes to see. In the 21st century, are we still citizens with great liberties, established by our forefathers, or we becoming something else?
I am afraid the answer is we have become something else entirely. The US by many standards, is not #1, except for perhaps military spending, prisons, people needing more and more financial support, and imaginary importance.
In fact, it seems that we as a people have decided that our freedoms are not really all that important. After 9/11, we have allowed the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, Fusion Centers, the TSA to molest countless children at airports.
And of course all this is done in the name of public safety. Give up your rights and the government will make you feel 'safe'.
We tolerate the National Defense Authorization act, which has declared the whole world a battlefield, and allows the executive branch to indefinitely detain anyone, including US citizens without trial - and without evidence.
And now that the public is aware of the executive branches use of drones to kill American citizens, there has been little outcry. Yes, the executive branch has given itself the power to be judge, jury and executioner of Americans. Your right to due process is gone now.
And even most recently, Obama openly allowed the CIA and NSA access to all financial records. (This was already being done, but now it's out in the open).
Where are the Americans? Where are the fierce people who heatedly won their independence from a monarchy? Who destroyed a despotic regime committing genocide on its own people?
Is that all in the past? Do our rights not matter to even ourselves? Are we just willing to go along to get along? Is it just about paying the mortgage and being able to afford to see a doctor?
Americans, be not afraid. The freedoms we enjoy come with costs and risks. The violence we must seek to undo is the violence of the state. No one incident can even compare to what is being done around the world and at home in our name.
The government/political machinery must reformed to be accountable for the will of the people. Without that, our country will continue to suffer. We must be bold, informed, and willing to stand up for all our rights, and bear the burdens that those rights bring.
Things are out of control. We must fix it. Not 'they'. It is our duty and responsibility.