 Fellow patriots, disgruntled underachievers, naysayers, and members of the National Association for the Preservation of Viking Lore and Hand-Cranked Ice Cream…we are in the midst of a crisis. This is not the same crisis that we have been experiencing for the past twenty or thirty years, this is a new crisis, ripe with new challenges. Many of us watched in dismay as President Bush gave us his state of the union…the same state of the union shared by all of those in the Federal government, no matter which side of the aisle they sit on. This is the state in which our own personal liberties and the freedom afforded to us by the Constitution slip way from us unceremoniously like a David Spade sitcom. The speech that we witnessed on January 23, 2007 was nothing more than a staged production worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy.
It was a display to pacify the masses who are too caught up in the comings and goings of celebrities and the limited interest of their own benefit to see what is really going on in this once-great nation. I say that the state of the union today is the same as my kitchen--a complete disastrous mess. The cherished realm of personal choice is being slowly diminished as the government takes over the everyday aspects of our lives one by one. Both Democrats and Republicans alike believe that we, the American citizenry, are incapable of managing our own lives, and believe that everyone must play on the same level field, except of course when it can benefit their own back pockets. Our schools are a trainwreck, and all the government can say is that we need to “close the achievement gap” or throw more money at the problem. I n reality, some kids are stupid, and some are smart…both may have the ability to do great things, but until the focus is put on the parents, nothing will change except for the amount of debt we incur pouring gasoline on the fire of out-of-control spending and taxation. Although this is just one example, the decision we have to make, friends, is whether we want to be ruled, or participate in the marketplace of ideas. If we would like the State of our Union to be one of justice and freedom, we must, as Melville said, “strike through the mask” and face the truth of what must be done. The state of our Union is one of disarray, but is easily changed once we decide that sham, for-show speeches no longer abide. We cannot simply go through the motions of democracy. I know it. - Roy Bancroft, Jr. |
