I’ve been avoiding my first post [no pun intended] for a lot of reasons, but this seems like the way to open. First - let me thank Jeff for allowing me a soapbox upon which to rage pointless. And apologize in advance for making him regret it (that will come in time. Trust me).

I read something that disturbed me deeply today, so let me direct your attention to a story on “Justice for None“, and when you come back, let me ask you something - are we on the brink of a totalitarian state?

I had been stationed in Germany for two years while in the military, so I lit up, and commented about how beautiful the country was, and inquired if he was going back because he missed it.

“No,” he answered me. “I’m going back because I’ve seen this before.” He then commenced to explain that when he was a kid, he watched with his family in fear as Hitler’s government committed atrocity after atrocity, and no one was willing to say anything. He said the news refused to question the government, and the ones who did were not in the newspaper business much longer. He said good neighbors, people he had known all his life, turned against his family and other Jews, grabbing on to the hate and superiority “as if they were starved for it” (his words).

Tomorrow is Independence Day. Please take a few minutes to remember what our long national identity has meant - to ourselves, our forefathers, and the world - and consider the ways in which we may honor that proud legacy.