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The
View from the Meadow
Observations
of the Passing Scene
Political
and Social Commentary by Dave Satre
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Political
Corrections Is it just me? Or is the view on the other side of the meadow changing rapidly? I don’t mean the usual seasonal changes, the turning leaves and shorter days, it’s more like the Democracy we all enjoy is losing its color. The light is dimming. The cherished freedoms of Americans are diminishing and may soon disappear entirely unless we citizens rise up and correct this situation. There seem to be many forces currently working to erode the Constitutional Freedoms enjoyed by Americans --- and all of them are profiting from the graft and corruption in big business and Washington. Economic and political forces are gorging on the public trough while the government, military and law enforcement agencies are holding the people back, making them pay the taxes that finance this failing system. The Rich, the Right and the Righteous are feeding this frenzy while the poor are suffering and the middles class is disappearing. We have to wonder why this is happening --- in America! The country that built the world’s greatest example of Democracy and based it on the rights of individuals and the freedoms of the people! But this downward trend began a long time ago. It started slowly, with some our cherished traditions disappearing almost unnoticed over a long period of years. Political correctness was one of the early trends that fed this change in America. But it has grown strong and powerful during the Bush Administration and such fundamental American freedoms as Free Speech, a free media and Privacy are under attack. Economic greed, corporate corruption, political power, government graft --- particularly with the military industrial complex (MIC) --- have taken control of this country. It’s All About the MONEY. This is no longer a government for the people. The threats of terrorism and national security are being used to undermine such basic freedoms as privacy and free speech --- the fundamental platforms of a functioning democracy. We’re spending most of our tax dollars overseas while our nation’s infrastructure is beginning to crumble. The Right of Free Speech, for example, is being undermined on a daily basis. A small, but significant example of the attack on free speech is the Muslim Student's Association’s protests at Michigan State University. The group launched protests against Danish cartoons that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist. The demonstrations, which are allowed because of the Free Speech rights in America, branded the cartoons as hate speech. Professor Indrek Wichman sent this e-mail to the Muslim Student's Association in response:
The Muslim group responded by demanding the university reprimand Wichman and impose mandatory diversity training on its faculty. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is also demanding mandatory seminars on hate and discrimination for all freshmen students. Professor Wichman, like all U.S. citizens, also has the right to express his opinion. It’s a fundamental right of a democracy. The university is somewhat supporting his right to free speech --- it has not condemned Wichman for his remarks and claims his e-mail was private. It is time Americans grabbed hold and turned this political correctness thing around. It’s at the core of what is going wrong with America. We need to unite and reverse the trends that are corroding the rights and privileges of Americans. We need to exercise our right to speak up when our rights are threatened. We need to expose these ridiculous challenges of American freedoms, like the Michigan State Muslim issue, wherever they occur. If we need to start small, with a single voice like Professor Wichman’s, let’s get started. Voice your concerns with others. Support causes for important issues. Exercise your options, your opinions and your Constitutional right to express them. Send e-mails to friends and relatives, discuss important issues with co-workers and neighbors. Spread the word. Let’s join together and save America for Americans.
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