Why Is My Freedom Only Contingent upon This?

On every patriotic holiday my social media feeds say the same thing.  I must thank a veteran or military member for my freedom.  I must remember the men and women who died for my freedom.  I wouldn't have my freedom without war and death and fighting.

I admit I don't know what Americans are talking about when they talk about "freedom" anymore.  It seems freedom is defined differently by differing political groups.  I try to define freedom in my own way.  Regardless of how one defines it, I am skeptical of the idea that freedom hinges on the acts of only one group of people.

Before you attack me as a military-hating, evil, liberal scum, I am not writing this piece to disrespect the military.  I know I am a liberal peacenik.  I do wish we lived in a world where countries didn't need enormous, expensive, fighting forces to exist.  I am also a realist.  I know we don't live in that kind of world (or I understand the US can't be that kind of country).  I know the military life is not an easy one.  It's not a safe or uncomplicated choice go down that path.  If someone chooses that path, I respect that decision and I appreciate the willingness to put one's life on the line this way. I also hope once the time is served, that person isn't sitting in a wheelchair, suffering from PTSD, and begging on the streets.  

My point today is that war is not the only path to freedom. 

There are Americans fighting quietly for our freedoms every day and we need to acknowledge them. Today, for the country's most sacred holiday, I am writing to ask why we can't we acknowledge and be grateful for all of the Americans who protect our freedom without acts of war.  

For example Americans love to criticize the government.  We hate those who serve.  We say they are ineffective.  We say they are corrupt liars.  We say we don't trust them.  We claim the government takes away our freedoms instead of giving us freedom.  

Americans like to forget our freedoms come from the laws our government creates.  The Civil War was fought over the right to uphold slavery, but it took an act of government to abolish it.  The government gave women the right to vote.  The government passed laws to end segregation and discrimination.  We need to appreciate the hard work our lawmakers do to make sure we uphold the principles of freedom in this country.  I am not saying they are perfect, and they do a lot of stupid crap I don't agree with, but I am grateful for those lawmakers who were, and still are, willing to stand up and fight for my freedoms.  Being a politician is not an easy job and I am grateful for those willing to take on the burden.  I know there are politicians out there who use their positions to further their own interests, but I know most of them do it for the love of their country.

Speaking of rights, we need to thank those who are working peacefully outside of the government and the military.  History acknowledges the works of activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Susan B. Anthony.  We can't stop acknowledging them.  We also need to acknowledge those who continue their work.  We need to thank those who take to the streets and put their reputations on the line to make sure all of us live in a just world.  We need to be grateful to those organizations who continue to fight on and influence the government to do the right thing, such as the ACLU and the SPLC.  Do you think I'm some kind of communist for suggesting these organizations?  I guarantee you at some point, they have involved themselves in a case that directly affected you, and you are not even aware of it.

Do you know who else we need to thank?  We need to thank journalists.  We need to stop demonizing the media as "liberal" (and thus untrustworthy as if to imply those two descriptions are synonymous) and "fake news".  We need the media.  We need the news.  Reporters are the ones who keep our government honest.  They are the ones who are tirelessly researching and following the government's every move.  The see when things are going wrong and they tell us about it.  

Americans love a scandal.  We love it when we hear a politician we don't like did something naughty.  How do we learn about it?  We get it the story from the media.  The media tell us when corporations poison our water, and when CEOs embezzle our money.  The media tell us when politicians support or reject the legislation that means the most to us.  The media tell us when politicians are in bed with dark money.  The media tell us when the government is sending our citizens to war, and how the government justifies it.

We may not always like what we hear on the news.  We may hear pleasant stories about politicians we don't like, and learn about scandals that involve politicians we support.  It's not "fake" merely because you don't like it.  Even if you don't always want to hear what is reported, do you want to do without it?  Would you rather be uninformed about what is happening in our country and in the world?  Is ignorance bliss?

The media aren't perfect.  Profits drive the major news outlets as much as they drive any other large corporation.  Few journalists are without bias.  That's why we should also thank the fact checkers.  If the news outlets keep the government honest, then fact checkers keep the pundits and the social media stars honest.  You may not like it when your favorite news personality is fact checked, but that doesn't make it any less accurate.

The news is useless to us if we aren't literate enough to understand it, and that's why we must always thank teachers for our freedom.  At the very least teachers teach us how to read and comprehend language so we can consume media.  A good history teacher will provide everything we need to know about our country's past - including the mistakes so that we never repeat them.  A good civics teacher will teach us how our government works.  The best teachers will give us the critical thinking skills needed to always question what we are told, and not accept everything at face value.  A good teacher will not only tell us the "what", but make us ask the "how" and "why".  To me, teaching is the most patriotic profession there is.  Ignorance is the enemy of freedom and teachers provide us with the first steps away from ignorance.

Finally, the people we need to thank the most are regular Americans who are willing to exercise their freedoms to go out and vote.  Not all of us can take to the streets, fight in a war, run for office, or fight for rights in courts.  The one power we all have is our vote.  It’s the bare minimum any of us can do to protect our freedoms.  Yet somehow, there are Americans out there who don’t want to do it.  That is their right and I have to respect their decision to exercise that freedom.  For everyone who does go to the ballots every November (as well as those who vote in primaries), I thank you most of all.

We can fight for our freedoms without spilling a drop of blood.