Introduction

I never imagined that I would become a blogger. Yesterday, I didn't know what a blogger was, and now I is one.

Down Under means that I am living in Australia. Patriot means that I am, and always will be, an American, first and foremost.

I believe that America is the defining influence on the planet we inhabit. You can't escape it. Even here, 12,000 miles away, what happens in America affects us, and the way we live.

To most, America represents something to yearn for. If they cannot physically be there, they can still hope to achieve the freedoms and benefits which they attribute to the American way of life. To others, America is a threat to their way of life, and is something to be feared. Some go so far as to want to destroy it.

The American experiment resulted in a successful but fragile system of government. The unheard of idea that all men were equal and free to govern themselves demolished the idea that men were meant to be ruled by dynasties and ruling classes with inherited titles who could tax their labor at will. It worked, and the energy released by giving freedom to its people resulted in the creation of a superpower unlike any seen before. The Founding Fathers were geniouses? No, they were conscientious, hard-working men with vision. They gave us a Republic and a foundation on which to build a country. It's now up to us to keep it.

Looking at America from afar, I feel that we are in danger of losing what our forefathers worked so hard for to achieve. Will we pass on to our children and grandchildren what we were given? Or will we hand over to them the remnants of a once successful enterprise?

I've driven my family and friends nuts with my e-mails criticizing what is going on in the U.S. today. Most are too involved with day-to-day life to even want to think about such matters. I do, however, think such matters are important, so I will blog them and let people choose whether or not they want to read them.

Thought for the day: "If you're not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem."