Why America’s Freedom is Truly in Danger on Our Independence Day

“What? The land of the free? Whoever told you that is your enemy.”

Just about 30 years ago, a politically charged band named Rage Against the Machine burst onto the scene to warn us about how America is truly not as free as we think. We are controlled by corporations, the wealthy elite, and politicians.

It’s hard to believe that three decades ago they seemingly predicted the fate we’re facing in our country, this 4th of July, 2022. We are losing more freedom and rights than we have in decades. It’s a scary time to be a woman, a minority, an LGBTQ member, a non-Christian, or an immigrant. Check this out:

“Know Your Enemy” by Rage Against the Machine

Watch this video, read the lyrics, and tell me if you think our country is going downhill like it seems to be.

With the recent events in our country such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the attacks on marginalized groups and women by most right-wing conservative red states, we’re facing a crisis. Personal freedoms have never been under attack so unjustifiably by a minority of citizens in our country.

We are being outvoted by loud-mouthed, ignorant, stubborn, Moral-Minority citizens. When Donald Trump despicably stacked the Supreme Court with the worst religious, right-wing, conservative Christian appointees, he set America up to fail. And he gladly did it without caring a bit about how decent people felt about it.

Our country is being controlled and torn apart by horrible politicians who are catering to white, straight, conservative Christian America. With Donald Trump and Fox News whipping their fan base into a frenzy and causing worry, paranoia, and fear, they are emboldening racism, bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, and political and religious intolerance.

These people are scared to death. They are scared of losing the perceived power they actually do not hold. They are worried about their black, Hispanic, female, gay, trans, Jewish, and Muslim neighbors taking what little power they actually have away from them.

These white men with fragile egos and big mouths are using religion, fear, conspiracy theories, Donald Trump, Fox News, and other sources to justify hatred, racism, bigotry, homophobia, sexism, and religious intolerance. They are again outvoting most decent people who stand for equality, tolerance, kindness, and push for education and reform.

We have to band together this Independence Day. We are not the land of the free. We are the land of the bought. Politicians are being bribed and paid by giant corporations, such as the NRA. They attempt to keep Americans loving guns and rejecting sensible laws about them by voting red.

The churches across the country are telling men to be the heads of their households. To rule with force. That the LGBTQ culture is bringing sin into the world. That their members are all child molesters. That they don’t deserve to marry or adopt. A few sick fucks are preaching from the pulpit that they should be killed.

I take this very seriously. As the father of a kind-hearted, loving, educated lesbian daughter who can outdebate ANYONE I’ve ever heard her square off against, I will do anything to protect her safety and rights. You bet your ass I’m going to encourage everyone I possibly can to vote blue and help save the rights of ALL citizens, not just select groups of people.

You often hear ignorant, uneducated, religious people yell and pound their chests about how great our country is. That it’s the best country in the world. That we have FREEDOM. That we’re better than every other country on the planet. That we should just leave if we don’t love it.

Leave my country because it’s broken? Do you just abandon your vehicle when it doesn’t start and can’t get you to the places you need to be? Do we automatically file for divorce the first time our turn signal is broken, not allowing us to communicate properly? No.

Blind patriotism is completely asinine. America is not the greatest country in the world, and it needs fixing. We’re not even the freest nation in the world. Far from it. Every ranking I’m seeing while researching our current level of freedom in 2022 seems to place the United States between 15th to 20th in the world for personal freedom.

This clip from a 2012 episode of The Newsroom explains why America is not the greatest country in the world. And it’s gotten worse in the 10 years since this aired.

Most of what I read and researched about our personal freedom ranking in America included data from earlier 2022 or even 2021. I am certain that with The Supreme Court and red states stripping women of their right to have autonomy over their own reproductive rights, we’ve dropped even further.

It’s looking more and more like the American Taliban here, daily. Men are telling women that they know more than a woman does about her own body. Religious zealots demand that a woman carry a baby to full term, even if their own lives are in danger. A rapist can now pick the mother of his children.

Our crooked and biased Supreme Court has indicated that they are planning to review and possibly overturn LGBTQ citizens’ right to marry and make it a state’s rights issue. They know full well that if ignorant, conservative, red states are allowed to choose, most rights for marginalized groups of citizens will disappear.

I cannot fathom why so many people are so invested in these topics that were decided upon years or decades ago. To go back in time and regress rather than evolve makes zero sense. America is not going to be great again by stripping marginalized citizens of the same rights that most people hold in our country.

The fact that an assault rifle has more rights than a woman in the United States sickens me. Our inability to implement common-sense gun laws for the sake of children being slaughtered in schools is disgusting. The refusal of both sides to work together on so many issues is immature, prideful, and shameful. We have to do better.

America is not the greatest country in the world. I will not be celebrating independence and freedom today on the 4th of July. Until women, minorities, LGBTQ citizens, non-Christians, and any other marginalized groups have the same freedoms that most enjoy, there is absolutely no point in pretending we’re some enlightened, wonderful country.

Be good to all citizens of this nation we call home. Don’t only treat the ones who look like you, love like you, and worship like you as your brothers, sisters, and neighbors. Be kind to everyone from all walks of life and stand for kindness, justice, fairness, and equality. You’ll feel better if you do.

You’re a true patriot if you’re on the right side of history. Let’s not relive the old days when all people in our country didn’t enjoy the freedoms that others did. I do not want to live in a time when marginalized citizens are persecuted, arrested, and sometimes murdered for trying to live their lives in freedom, and demand to be treated as equals.

Vote for the things that bring us all together, and not for laws and policies that divide and hurt our citizens. If you truly want to make America great again, stand up for equality and personal freedom for every citizen. A strong nation is one that believes in liberty and justice for ALL