Scroll through the pages of history and you will find many reoccuring themes.  Maybe none are quite as prominent as the battle to squelch freedom.  It starts in Genesis with the serpent veiling true freedom with the concept that his "freedom" is better and true.  All you have to do is forget what the words of the One that placed you there are and take what is not yours to take.  This was supposed to make man like God and give even more freedom, because everything else on Earth (a crime-less paradise, of abundance and prosperity) was not enough. We all know the result; pain, toil, loss of innocence, and loss of freedom.  Where once there was an abundance of everything good, there came an abundance of all that is bad.  All the product of freedom being hijacked and twisted into something that sounded good on the surface but was void of truth at the core, and motivated by an ego that desired power and control.

   We can skip a history lesson that will show all of the opression from that day to this, but the same theme ran rampid around the globe for thousands of years, and is alive and well today.  Our nation, probably the greatest nation in the history of the world, all things considered, was founded on one simple persuit- freedom.  We have been the most free people to this point in history, and have fought to keep our freedom, as well as spread this precious gift to the nations.  You may or may not agree with our current endeavor in the middle east, but for freedom it is fought.  The Civil War- for freedom, WWI- for freedom, WWII- for freedom, Vietnam- for freedom, the Cold War- for freedom.  There may have been other incintives, or hidden motives, but the overriding purpose of all of this strife is to preserve and allow freedom. 

   Some of these battles have been fought miles away from our homeland, while some have been fought right out our back door.  Some seemed distant and impersonal, while some intruded upon nearly every aspect of life.  Currently, our involvement overseas may seem distant to some and very up close and personal to others.  It is hard to escape the thought of the battle with so many reminders put in our face everyday.  Who really wants to ignore our fight anyway?  (some may want to quit)  While this battle is slugged out with bullets, rpg's, tanks, bombs, insurgents, militias, and suicide bombers, a fight for freedom.  There is one that many ignore that rages today stronger than at any point in our nation's history.  It is not an arms race against a competing nation with malicious intentions, there are no real bullets (yet), but an internal battle that follows history's trend to vanquish freedom.  Many that strive to steal our liberty, are the same as the serpent, filled with false promises that sound good on the top yet are void of substance and truth, motivated by ego and control or power, or money.  They say you should have something that is not yours, forget about all that is already available.  They say their way is the best way, and they are fueled by contempt and hate.  They refuse to present whole truths, while claiming any opposition to them is uneducated or unqualified.  This battle is not just outside our back door.  This war is being waged in our homes, in our cars, in our churches (as shown in recent monthes), in our schools, in our work place, and everywhere else we tread.  Maybe we have become desnesitized to much of it because of the relentless attacks from so many different palces.  Maybe we are just willingly ignorant because we are not in chains.  Or maybe we are just far too silent in our defense and counter attack.

   I do not know how the battle has progressed this far in taking our freedom.  I do know a few things though.  When saving a tree is more important than providing for my children, and my children's children, we have gone too long with out effectively fighting back.  When our nation is indebted to a ruthless, Godless, violent, opressive nation because we lack the ability to say no to a minority few that are short sighted and agenda driven, we have gone too long.  When our "leaders" can no longer use common sense as an answer because they will lose something of theirs, forsaking what is mine, we have gone too long.  Our freedom is under attack, and we have too long been too quiet and too passive.  We must fight for this freedom, and we can no longer afford to start tomorrow.  It is not politics, it is our life that is at stake, and the lives of those that come after us.  When the pages a written about us, will it read that we let freedom slip away?  Will our legacy be one of triumph, or atleast great effort.  Only we can make that decision.