re: I'm Proud to be an American, Where At Least I Know I'm Free?

The "ideal" America never really existed. There has always been injustice, corrupt politicians, greedy, evil people with money, rigged systems, cronyism, nepotism, etc.

However, the "idea" of America - or what that ideal America represented was powerful - it was palpable - visceral. It has been in my lifetime - most recently in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

But, the forces on the other side never sleep, never rest - using any perceived flaw in America as an excuse to reject the idea and make "fundamental changes in it" - in some cases, refinement was needed, but now we seem to be careening away from what America was at great speed and with great abandon. The idea of a self-reliant, free person working towards his/her own ends, and receiving the fruits of his/her labor seems to have been replaced by a rapidly growing welfare state. The other side of this is that government has an unquenchable thirst for power and information. The histories of the FBI, CIA and NSA all demonstrate that. The price of all that power and information is the individual right to privacy - not that technology didn't kick it in the head, but U.S. government policies have put 2 in the chest and 1 in the head of any perceived right to privacy.

I don't know what we could have done differently - and we're at critical mass now - almost at the point of no return - I think 2016 will be the moment, where we (and I think it will be a temporary thing) choose to try "America" one more time, or become West Western Europe once and for all.