If the flag could speak... maybe this is what it'd say

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I had a dream the other night

I didn't understand.

A stranger walked in through the mist

With a flintlock rifle in his hand.

His clothes were torn and dirty

As he stood beside my bed.

He took off a three-cornered hat

Speaking low to me he said,

We fought a revolution

To secure your liberty.

We wrote the constitution

As a shield from tryanny.

For future generations

This legacy we gave

To make you the land of the free

And home of the brave.

The freedoms we secured for you

We thought you'd always keep.

But tyrants labored endlessly,

While your parents were alseep.

Now your freedom is gone; your courage is lost;

You're no more

But a slave-

In this land of the free,

Home of the brave.

You buy permits to travel,

permits to own a gun,

Permits to start a business,

To build a place for one.

On land you think you own,

You pay your yearly rent.

But you don't have a voice

In how that money's spent.

Your children may attend a school

That doesn't educate.

Your christian values can't be taught

According to the state.

You read about your daily news

On regulated press,

And you pay more taxes than you owe

To this thing called IRS.

Your money's no longer made

Of silver or of gold,

Cause you traded your wealth for paper

So your life can be controlled.

You pay for crimes that make your nation

Turn from God in shame.

And now you've taken satan's number

And traded in his name.

You give your government control;

They can do you harm.

They can burn down churches

And seize your family farm.

And keep your nation deep in debt,

While putting men of faith in jail.

Then harass your fellow countrymen,

While your corrupt courts prevail.

Your public servants don't uphold

The solemn oaths they've sworn.

And now your daughters visit doctors

So their children won't be born.

Your leader sends guns And artillery to foreign shores.

And you send your youth to slaughter

Fighting other peoples wars.

Can you regain your freedoms

For which we fought and died,

Or have you lost your courage

And your faith to stand with pride?

And are there no more values

For which you fight to save?

Do you want your children

To live in fear and be a slave?

Then citizens of this republic

You better stand.

Defend the constitution;

The supreme law of your land.

Protect your great republic

And each God given right.

And pray to God to keep

The torch of freedom burning bright.

As I awoke he vanished

In the mist in which he came.

And his words are true - we are not free,

But we have ourselves to blame.

For even now as tyrants

Trample each God given right,

We only watch and tremble

Too afraid to stand and fight.

But if he stood by your bedside

In a dream while you were asleep

And wondered what remains

Of the freedom that he fought to keep,

What would be your answer-

If he called out from the grave;

Is this still the land of the free

Home of the brave?

-- American (it@ends.in.I.CAN), April 22, 2000

Answers

will somebody from "the other board" post this over there?

-- please (pretty@please.thanks), April 22, 2000.

The flag ? Hell that's not worth nothin either.

Get real and get GOLD

-- get it (get@gold.now), April 22, 2000.


>> But you don't have a voice ... In how that money's spent. <<

Yoo-hooo! Ever heard of politics? It's what you do if you want to influence what the government does.

Or are you just another one of the poor idiots who's bought the line of bullsh*t that politics is a dirty, awful business that no sane person would ever want to touch for fear of getting their hands filthy?

Wake up! Look at who is getting their hands filthy by touching politics. Do you think it is a coincidence that these same people are the ones who are cleaning up at our expense? Writing the laws. Spending the tax money. Running the show.

Can you really be that stupid? The cure for what ails our democracy is more democracy. That's a four-letter word spelled W-O-R-K.

Duh! Did you think the counntry was going to run iteself?

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), April 22, 2000.


Politics?????? A vote does not equal a voice. Please reread the poem to see where the politicians have gotten us thus far. You missed the point entirely.

-- huh (s@s.s), April 22, 2000.

>> A vote does not equal a voice. <<

Who ever said voting was enough? Voting is the absolute minimum. Less than the minimum, really.

You want a voice? Speak up! But don't speak up just to whine about how your voice is being ignored. Useful political work is hard work. If you can't see that, you'll never make a difference, because you'll be sitting around bitching and moaning about how no one listens to you.

Poor you. Having a voice means finding a positive action, banding together with others of like mind, knocking on doors, volunteering for phone banks, donating some money and time, running for office, helping someone run who will do a good job, attending meetings, strengthening a political party that stands for what you want.

In other words, you have to sweat. You have to do something. You have to get the word out. And if you do it, over and over, you will have an effect on public policy that you can see, feel and measure. I guarantee it.

And don't tell me you've done it and it doesn't work. You can't ever stop if you want to make democracy work. If you did it for 10 years and didn't see a change, maybe you needed 30 years. Or maybe, just maybe, the public really understood its choices and you lost. Then don't whine. When one question is truly settled and you've struck out, there is always another at bat.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), April 22, 2000.



American:

From your input, I assume that you are talking about the Confederate Battle flag in SC. Even John feels that should quit talking.

Best wishes,,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), April 22, 2000.


will somebody from "the other board" post this over there?

-- please (pretty@please.thanks), April 22, 2000.

It was....... last week..

-- Netghost (ng@no.yr), April 23, 2000.


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