Jack's blog: "Nothing"

I recently was in Connecticut. While there I got to experience seeing the rustic trails & the old stone walls that divided the properties from way back. Walking through the woods & seeing how they came together at points. Following old paths to a clearing where you could tell that a house use to be there or a town. Structures run down beyond repair, but standing reminding us of the past & how far we have come from those days. One of the first states to have stood against the British & the tyranny they sought to bring upon us. We stood up & fought for our right to be free from the oppression. We won.... Now here we stand again, throwing away our freedoms we fought so hard for. We are tossing them away for supposedly the want to be safer or to feel like we are safe. It amazes me how blind we have become. Even the older generation that taught us & that lived & fought for us to have our way of life. Listening to an older gentleman saying that the government has no secrets, yet time & time again they keep declassifying material. How far have we fallen from what this country use to stand for. We are now mocked by other countries. We have become a country that is weak & cowers instead of standing tall & proud. We have forsaken the poor & down trodden & have enabled those that seek to enforce their way of life upon us. We have a double standard, we want equality for all, yet we show no equality to others. We want freedom of speech for all, yet if it doesn't sit with our views than we must punish them that speak against us. We scream & shout that love must be shown, but yet we give no example of what love is. We are tearing ourselves apart, & becoming less & less. We expect everyone to hand us stuff, instead of fighting & working for it. I have fought, kicked, clawed, & worked to get ahead, yet only to be held back. Sometimes by my mistakes, but more often than not by others needs to be more powerful, so that their ego is fed. I have forefathers in my family that have fought for this country & my freedom. Their names are mentioned in journals & on plaques in the civil war monument here in Cleveland, Ohio. There are family members that fought against the British. My family has sacrificed many men to almost all the major wars. British American War, The Civil War, WWl, WWll, Korean, Vietnam. I have never forgotten what price was paid for my freedom. I am reminded daily when I look at my dad's flag, that is folded properly & encased. How my family's hearts must turn over in their graves & become sick at how far we have fallen & how many have seemingly forgotten the sacrifice that was made for this once great nation. To all who serve, this great nation & stand guard under the flag, I say thank you. I have not forgotten the price, nor will I ever forget. Please remember, my friends & family why we have our freedom & thank those that have served & those that continue to serve. If not for them, we would not have our freedom.