~~on sacrifice

One of my Facebook friends posted this:


Here's a question? Today we celebrate our independence and freedom. What would you, yes, YOU, sacrifice for your country? Would you send your children or grandchildren to war, for example. What would you do?


My answer to her on Facebook:


Good question, Olga. Wonder how many honest answers you'll get. If I did have kids, I would sooner have them locked up in a monastery or a nunnery before I would let Uncle Sam get their hands on them. For this government, I would sacrifice nothing. They already take a good portion of the sweat of my brow as a "donation" to enterprises with which I do not agree.


I really am wondering how many honest answers or how many "knee jerk" platitudes she'll get back.  Sure, I'd send my kid off to a foreign country that most people can't find on a map where he will get his ass blown off for some reason that gets changed every other day.  Weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (while even if found, from a country that couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in Kansas), protect the innocents of Libya (while bombing the shit out of them) or regime change in Iran (trading one dictator for another who is more friendly to the US), or whatever other excuses or lies come in handy to satisfy the government school educated citizens of the US.


For the record, I am NOT an America hater.  This country has great things to offer if people would take advantage of them and not wait for government to provide for them and if only the politicians would leave them alone.


Giving willingly of my time, funds and work to community, family, friends and those in need who I choose to help is the true measure of humanity.  Sacrifice at the point of a gun is really no sacrifice at all.


I draw a distinction between country and government.  "Country" consists of the wonderful American people around me.  "Government" is that gang of confiscatory thieves who demand sacrifice of life, liberty and fortune by force.   Wonder how many will understand that distinction in my answer.