Freedom of choice is most precious and personal to those of us who fought in wars to preserve it, those of us who are living with the private pain of 18, 19, and 20-year-old friends who died defending it, and those of us who witness the horrors of the military battles necessary to keep it. We believed that freedom of choice or our “unalienable Rights,” which are the birth right of every human ― granted to us by The Creator (refer to paragraph two of the Declaration of Independence) was worth the price of the ultimate sacrifice ― our lives.
I spent 24 years on active duty training soldiers for combat, leading soldiers in combat, and putting my life on the line as a combatant. Etched in my memory are the cemeteries in the United States and the World where thousands of military men and women are buried. I can still see some of their faces, hear some of their laughter, and recall the good times and challenging times we spent together. I can still recall how much I believed that the sacrifices we were making would lead to the creation of a greater and better United States of America. There was no doubt in my mind (at that time) that the United States of America was ascending to its rightful place as the “City on the Hill.” We were becoming more democratic. Upward mobility was possible for more of us. The future of our children appeared brighter than it was for us when we were their ages. The United States of America was rapidly becoming a “user friendly nation’ that was vigilantly striving to insure and protect the freedoms of all its citizens. It appeared to be doing everything it could to enable all of us to exercise our unalienable rights.
Now, it appears that the United States has reversed its course. Instead of ascending up the hill to greatness, it appears that we are descending down the hill to mediocrity. Consider these facts: At present, when conservative leaders are opposing mandatory insurance, they are also rolling back the environmental protection laws, promoting mining and drilling (and other types of activities that increases the probability of severe illnesses due to pollution), rolling back T.O.R.T. reform laws, putting a cap on middle class American salaries, and saddling workers with paying more medical expenses out of packets. Additionally, these conservatives are cutting entitlements for middle class and the poor, dismantling their safety nets, forcing local communities and individual citizens to have less input in the decisions governing their lives, work environment, and community resources. Instead, these conservatives are increasingly conducting these types of decisions in secrecy. These conservatives are putting more obstacles, like "redrawn districts,” and “Voter ID laws,” in the path to the voting booths and the “fair” elections for middle class citizens.
I would like to say that I am hopeful, but it appears that the conservatives, who are guiding our tumbling decent down the hill, are winning and will continue winning. They are moving us to a free fall that will land us in Hell.
Freedom of choice is rapidly coming to an end. And the lives of those of us who fought and died to protect it appear to have been in vain.
At times like these, I find having a faith really helps. God help us!
By
James A. Porter
