Independence Day? Notice the Question Mark.

The smell of the steaming grill and the sizzling of the greasy meat roasting on it. The sudden spurts of loud explosions. Dirty children with grass stains on their whole body. The smell of sulfur. Soft, delicious Rice Krispy treats. Watermelon seeds. Baseball games. Red and white table cloths. Family. Friends … Freedom.

This is the Fourth of July in the United States.

The Fourth has always been one of my favorite holidays every year. This year, it will be spent on a lake with fiancé and friends in the midst of barbeques and tans. But this year, as I stopped to look beyond all the normal Fourth of July festivities that usually come with the perfect summer holiday, I began to feel a sense of extreme sadness.

Allow me to expand. The other night, I caught The Patriot on television featuring Mel Gibson and the late Heath Ledger. And I have to tell you, every time I watch that movie, something deep down in me is stirred. The whole story of The Patriot – illustrated in Hollywood dramatic proportions – is a micro story to the macro story of how America gained it’s independence from England. Throughout the movie, history comes to life as the underdog – the 13 colonies of America – seemingly commit suicide by going to war with the motherland England to gain independence for their own nation.

We all know how the story ends. The underdog does the impossible and fights off the bully and gains national independence. Consequently, 233 years later this year, we will be sitting around a picnic table lighting off most-likely illegal firecrackers and watching the firework show in the sky celebrating, the fact that we are, in theory, a free nation.

But as we look back to our history, we see 13 colonies wanting to gain independence from a bully nation that is taxing without representation. But, today as I look at our own government, I sense we are starting to relive the exact same injustice that was faced by the inhabitants of the first colonies. With our new President and his administration stealthy taking over the auto industry, banks, now the proposed government-owned health care system, and numerous pieces of other under-the-radar legislation; our independent nation is quickly – and undetected by most of the population – spiraling our independence into a fast decline. Needless to say, with all the new government takeovers, taxes are bound to skyrocket no matter how many eloquent ways Obama can think of saying he will not raise our taxes. It’s inevitable and where is our voice in it? Nowhere. In fact, our “voice” (i.e. state representatives) is wrapped up in partisan arguments, sex scandals, attempts at party renewal, and dead-end promises.

Our independence as citizens is at stake. The hope-inspired “change” that had the majority of the American population misty-eyed and clueless, is on its way to sending the state of our independence into the abyss of failed democracies.

In The Patriot, there is a town hall gathering in Charleston to discuss going to war with England. At one point in the heated discussion, a statesman arises and quips:

“We ARE citizens of an American nation! And our rights are being threatened by a tyrant three thousand miles away!”

As I heard those words, I realized we as American citizens are principally facing the same tyrannical wrong today. But this time, the tyrant isn’t across the pond. The tyrant is Washington D.C., our own democratic government. We may not know it under the flowery and charismatic smile of the Obama administration. But, our autonomy is fading right beneath our very own firework-strewn skies.

Ironically, this year the fireworks will go on and the patriotic words of our national songs will be sung. But, underlying our celebration will be signs of a massive decline; signs and symbols of the continued loss of our independence and freedom chipped away by the wake of legislation from the lofty claims of change.