On September the eleventh two thousand and one a group of religious nuts took over three planes and wounded America and we have been hemmoraging civil rights ever since. The very things that make America America have been slowly, and not so slowly, slipping away. Don't get me wrong,
This was not caused by 9/11. 9/11 just presented some of the worst elements in our government with an opportunity to further selfish aims and in the process, help continue to destroy what they had been charged with protecting. It was just an opportunity to tempting for them to ignore.
So what is the conclusion we can come to? Is our government filled with greedy bastards who care only for themselves and damn the consequences to others? Undoubtedly. So it must be their fault right? You or I, we are not the ones in power. We weren't the ones fucking over the nation and the world for the sake of our own bank accounts, right? It is not our fault. There is nothing we can do, right?
Consider this:
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". This quote is attributed to Edmund Burke and is true now as it ever has been and as it always will be. "Good men" have to ask questions and have the strength of character to say "no, this must change". They have to actually talk and listen.
This country was founded by people who asked questions, not by "good citizens" who took what the machine gave them and followed blindly. There is a reason why "I was only following orders" is not considered a valid defense. The people who fought the machine all died and as the generations wore on we built another to take it's place and "good men" did nothing.
"Good men" did nothing and the machine grew. It wasn't our problem. And then, bad things happened. But they could never happen again. But they did, and good men did nothing. They couldn't possibly happen again. But they are, and still "good men". Do nothing.
How many people will be arrested, spied upon and tortured before "good men" act? If they come for you, will there be anyone to speak out? When future generations look to us and ask "why", what will we say? When they ask: "How did you let this happen?" Will there be anything we can say? Will there be anything we can say or will the machine of our own creation have already rolled over us and left nothing in it's wake. Shall we close our eyes and not question? Be good citizens and let the machine roll because questioning is unpatriotic? Shall we close our eyes and let it happen because: I was not a communist? I was not Japanese? I was not unpatriotic?
