Fifty States of Fear

by AP

"Oh, beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plains…" America. The country that many consider the greatest in the world. Freedom, equal rights, its what this country's dream was. Not anymore. Continually, instead of earning rights, we have them taken away. Terrorism, immigrants, and even racial profiling have lead to doubt. Fear of being different and fear of those who are different is what has lead this country from being the noblest, to the most meager.

It starts with suspicion, you see someone doing something weird and you suspect something's up right? Nothing wrong with that. But then comes panic and from panic, is born fear. Fear is always said to make men do crazy things, but I say it's not just men. We all do it. When feeling insecure we try desperately to bring things back in order. Still, some try too hard. Since 9-11-01, we've all been terrified of another terrorist attack, so scared that we even launched a meaningless war to "prevent it". All we've managed with that is to kill thousands of innocent people and even some of our own soldiers. Our own people.

The Patriot Act. More like the no privacy law. Since it was established, the government and FBI have had the power to tap phone lines, read e-mails and even track you through your cell phone. What is the point of it? Safety? I thought that the U.S was the country of freedom! The soldiers that fought for this country's independence didn't think about their safety when they marched to the battlefields. They fought for freedom. For the future of their families. For the right to say what they wanted, whenever they wanted. A right that is slowly being taken away. Now, if you speak your mind, there is a possibility of being fined, even imprisoned. Because someone thought you were a terrorist or you were accused of being an undocumented alien. You spoke you mind to the phone, and others heard you. Fear is like a sickness.

Now even our phones aren't trustworthy. What else? The police are out to get you because you came here looking for a job to feed your family with. You dreamed of a life where you didn't have to walk past children begging for food and shelter. You hoped that something better lies on the other side of that wall, as they say; the grass is always greener on the other side. Not true for today's immigrants. Hard workers are thrown into jail because they don't have a few pieces of paper. Afraid of being deported and ripped apart from your family. Afraid, of going back to a land you barely know. Afraid of being alone.

An illness that spreads, a hungry mosquito that bites, then injects its poison. We once welcomed the immigrants, glad for help and company. America started off as a group of immigrants, hoping for a better life. Yet we refuse even that to people nowadays. We even accuse the Hispanic immigrants of being terrorists. Last time I checked, it was a group of Arabic men that planned 9-11. Not that that means anything. Now we even have prejudice against the Arabic community that has been living in America for the longest time! You want terrorists? There are plenty of gangsters out on the streets! Go chase them and leave the innocent alone!

While our president is preoccupied with all the threats outside this country, his citizens are left fighting their own war. They take over neighborhoods, kill and wreak havoc, strike fear into the hearts of even kids. No one is arrogant to this. Gangs have taken over everywhere, yet no one seems to pay much attention to them. No one is really trying to stop them. Most are afraid, others just don't care. And in reality, now gangs are even more menacing than terrorists, they're already inside the U.S. And most aren't illegal. Still, our leaders don't seem to notice that the real danger is closer than they think.

How great is America now? My point: to show you how downhill this country is going. This was supposed to be a land of freedom, prosperity and equality. That's gone now. Not even privacy is allowed in these troubled times. The danger is all around us, and not one day are we all safe. War rages miles away, but a never-ending battle takes place here, in our homes. Fear is in all of our hearts, and we can't help it. What choice do we have?


"And crown thy good, with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea."

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