Have You Earned Your Freedom?

During a paid 3 minute sermon on the radio a preacher posed the question, "What have you done to earn your freedom? Are you a taker? Think about it." He asked this after framing the signers of our Declaration of Independence as mostly people who sacrificed their lives or were ultimately arrested and tortured.

I say the Founding Fathers did not make such sacrifice so we would have to do it, too. They didn't give their lives so their children would do the same. They did it so we wouldn't have to.

On a similar note, while I respect our soldiers and appreciate the sacrifice some of them have made, some of them come home with chips on their shoulders. Some of them will ask similar questions of civilians, "What have you done to earn your freedom. I fought so you can have rights ..."

I endured such ridicule at the hands of a former friend who didn't agree with my line of reason on this topic. He had signed up for the military during a time of peace though he saw combat duty in Bosnia. He believes I as a civilian owe him something for that and that his status as a Combat Veteran trumps my right to free speech. Some how I should not even comment on Freedom since I did nothing directly to earn the right.

Well, he was paid for his service. He has his benefits. He was taught skills and all he had to do was sign up. He didn't have to interview or tryout for his position. He simply volunteered to be told exactly what to do and when to do it. He knew what he was signing up for. If he was signing up so to have a leg up on we lowly civilians, then he took that job for all the wrong reasons.

I will gladly thank soldiers for doing their jobs as I will do for construction workers and grocery clerks. I think it's time some on high horses found time to thank all productive Americans for sacrificing their time, for risking their lives during the commute if not directly on the job and for being part of the greatest economy the world has ever seen.

I will thank the Founding Fathers for my freedom and for the sacrifices they made so that I could be born with certain inalienable rights among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and I will not feel guilty for not 'earning' these rights as defined by certain elitists.

I'm Free - The Who