The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. That's a line that nearly everyone that lives in this America knows, but it's meaning is kind of lost on us now. Our founding fathers would shoot themselves if they saw what our country was like today. No, wait. Strike that. They'd shoot everyone who's running the country and set up new leadership as the declaration of independence clearly states we should do if things get out of hand and our freedom is being threatened.

“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

I'm not good at writing stuff like this so forgive me if it stinks.
People don't talk like that anymore. That's because we don't have to fight for our freedom. We aren't being threatened and because of that we've turned into fat lazy cowards who don't give a rat's hindquarters about anyone but themselves. America is a country full of greedy fat slobs who's only focus in life is making more of the green stuff. I've got news for you guys! It's paper for goodness sake! No real value at all.
Power corrupts even the purest of hearts. A person may talk of all the amazing things their going to do for their town/city/state/country and they might put those things into motion, but eventually that little demon is going to grow inside their lives and we will have lost them. Not everyone succumbs to the same fate but many do.
The Health Care Bill is simply another way to grab power. The Government doesn't have enough control over our live so they need to take control of our medical care too! We just passed the same bill that Canada passed back in 1966 and guess what's happening over there as I'm writing this?
13-month old Joseph suffers from a progressive neurological disease and was on life support when the parents were ordered by a judge to take the child off by Monday 10AM. The two had already had another child who developed this same disease. A daughter at the age of 18-months. She received a tracheotomy and lived at home for six months before dying in her parent's arms. The couple told reporters it was a peaceful death and now they wish that for their son Joseph. They fear that if they take him off life support the death will be painful. They wish desperatly to fight but on the other side of the coin if they do they will be sent to jail.
This is what America is headed for people. We just passed the bill that allows the Government to do that. It allows them to decide who lives and who dies in hospitals. That right should belong to the families and loved ones alone, not the Government.
Land of the Free?
Still yes but it's slowly fading. Sad really. I mean we can't even wish people a Merry Christmas anymore for fear that we will offend them. Land sakes you're in a Country founded by Christians who came here to get away from religious oppression, GET OVER IT!!! We really screw around with the holidays in December, but what about the holidays in February?
Happy Valentines Day! Ooooh, do you believe in love?
We're getting there too.
Home of the Brave?
Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha hah! Aha heh! Okay I'm good now. Basically.....everyone's a coward okay. The Armed Forces don't count amongst that because they are out fighting the good fight and at the moment they aren't just fighting for us. They are willing to go out and get blow to smithereens or shot or something far worse, or far less worse, for freedom. Those guys understand freedom. Everyone's putting their two cents in too. The National Guard and The Coast Guard? Yeah they're in there too!
The rest of us won't understand what freedom is until we fight for it and to do that we must man up and grow a pair!

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
We aren't here yet but we are well on our way. The Government is getting greedy for power and their exploiting every loophole, dodging every obstacle. I wonder what's going to happen when we reach this stage? Will we bow and submit, or rise up like our forefathers and set up new government as is our right? I also wonder if I'll be around for that day. I pray to God that I'm not.