The United States used to be the unquestioned
world leader in freedom. The nation was born via the Declaration of
Independence. It successfully fought a great civil war to free the slaves and
bring its founding proclamations and principles to all of its citizens. Later,
it fought to free other states from Fascism and Communism, again at great cost.
For over two centuries, its
citizens seemed steeped in freedom, something they revered above all else. They
cherished limited government, republicanism, individual rights, pulling
themselves up by their own bootstraps, taking off on “road trips” down Route 66
and many other highways and byways, and the chance to create and run their own
businesses.
Whether they admitted it or not, countless
millions of people around the world knew this and respected it. Countless
millions—perhaps billions-- benefitted from this uniquely American affinity for
real freedom. Freedom from oppressive governments.
Tragically, the Wuhan Flu, among
other things, appears to have destroyed Americans’ independent spirit. We here
in the U.S. have been locked down for nearly a year now…and a simple majority
appear to like it. When we are told that we must not leave our homes, we say,
“Yes sir/ma’am!” When we are informed that the jobs that allow us to feed our
families and keep the power on in our homes are not “essential,” we bow our
heads and think to ourselves: “Dang it.” When told to wear a mask over our
mouths we do so without reservation. When told to wear two, many comply
as well. When informed that we may “have to” wear these masks for another year,
we shrug and smile wanly. Not that anyone could see it…or any other facial
expression we may otherwise have exhibited.
It is shocking and depressing to me
that the U.S. now can look to other countries for a lesson in how to stand up to
tyranny and stand up for freedom. But that is the bizarro world in which
we live. Australia is now in a pitched battle
with Facebook over control of that nation’s news outlets. And they are
standing firm…if not
winning. Poland has proposed $13.5 million fines on Big
Tech companies who engage in ideological censorship. Sweden
stood nearly alone in not locking down its economy and enforcing mask mandates
in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, it reached herd immunity
earlier than other nations, and didn’t destroy small businesses and ruin the
quality of life for the majority of its citizens. And French—yes, FRENCH—politicians
and academics have gone on record as being deeply worried about the Marxist,
multicultural rot and cancel
culture emanating from American colleges and universities. Moreover,
numerous world leaders, including Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador, have decried Twitter’s banning of former President Donald Trump from
its platform.
When nations around the world,
including Sweden, France and Mexico, appear more willing to defend the values for
which America was once almost singularly associated than America is, it reflects
poorly on us. It might be time for Americans to take a good, hard, honest look
in the mirror.
We might be shocked at what we see.
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