George,

The ease with which many Americans right now seem to be willing to discard our rights currently worries me greatly. I hear some people hold knee jerk reactions about anything and everything the current President does is evil, and others hold the opposite knee jerk reaction that everything the man does is well intentioned and we should all love him. I hear very little in the way of rational debate on what our rights are, and are they worth keeping. People are all waving the flag for one reason or another, but few know why they are waving it except to support their "team."

I think our rights are crucial, it's the only thing that makes us different from every other government ever formed. The Bill of Rights recognizes our individuality and our freedom by encapsulating in law that we formed government to keep us free, not to keep politicians in power. Our Bill of Rights is sacred, but it is often ignored by the courts and completely ignored by the Congress. To sacrifice our rights and freedoms, even temporarily, is to sacrifice the soul of our country.

I believe it's the civic duty of each of us to stand up for our freedoms in some fashion, no matter how small. The politicians certainly won't do it for us. I choose to do that by supporting the Libertarian Party, because I don't believe the major parties represent a compelling case for freedom.

Arin Sime (electronic mail, December 8, 2003)