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Get a bang out of thisThis question was posed on my Rural Route radio program in the past week. "As we head into another Independence Day celebration, would our forefathers be happy with our progress as a nation?" I do believe the short answer is "yes." Sure, I believe we have many challenges in front of us. In fact, in many respects, we have lost a great degree of independence as citizens of the representative republic. But, what country would you most proudly call home? For me, and I believe most logical individuals, that answer must be the United States of America. Why else would people be risking their lives to get in here? My online dictionary defines "independent" as "not subject to control by others." I hope we all talk a moment, during the celebration of our nation's birthday, about what a commitment it has taken from previous and current generations to allow us to maintain our independence. While I do not for one minute diminish how proud I am to be an American citizen, I would like to point out a couple areas of concern. The definition of independent can be viewed several ways, actually. As a country, we are self-governing. As a citizen, it is apparent that the government, in its attempt to protect its citizens, continues to find ways to remove my freedoms. Therein lies the problem. As a group of free citizens, we fail to recognize the freedom we enjoy is a right that we can also lose if we don't pay attention. I will use the best example of the day and one that everyone should be able to relate to. I do not question entering the current war in Iraq. I believe the qualified individuals in place at the time made a decision that was best for me as a citizen. Dealing with global terrorists is not a clean or an easy job. Along with the successes of our nation, jealousy will be running parallel. One choice along those lines is that we are currently paying for our lack of "independence" in regard to energy. Why did we become so dependent on foreign lands for energy? Because it was cleaner and cheaper to let someone else do the dirty work and we could just enjoy the benefits. We have not built an oil refinery in the United States for 30 years. Now, no matter where you stand on the war, you must admit that at some level we must protect our global energy supplies, at least until we can regain our energy independence. I have been told that the United States was built on the backs of capitalist entrepreneurs. I don't disagree that it may be cheaper to import our daily needs from another country, although it would be hard to argue that right now. But, everybody needs to wake up and realize that the price we pay for losing our independence and relying on others is pretty steep. I have seen recent reports indicating that the current war in Iraq has cost in excess of $2 trillion. How much is that anyway? I am not sure how many zeros it takes to accomplish that but, with a quick bit of cowboy arithmetic, I can figure that is about $15,000 for every man, woman and child who calls the United States of America home. And the math, the math doesn't mean a damn thing to the families who have lost loved ones fighting for our nation's security. As of this writing, 4,113 U.S. military personnel have died; thousands are wounded; and untold lives have been changed forever; yet, I have not talked to one family directly involved that is regretful. They understand that freedom is not free and must continually be earned. I can tell you that it has certainly changed my thinking here at home. On Independence Day 2008, I hope everyone else continues to think about the little things that we can do to make sure that we can continue to be an independent nation. I used to think that steel posts were easy and affordable. Meanwhile, we would burn the excess wood we found around the place because it was in the way. I now believe that by utilizing resources we have here at home, we each are doing our small part to maintain our independence, not unlike the rubber and food rations during World War II. For 232 years, our American military has been willing to show up on the front lines and defend my freedom. The least I can do is change my habits a little in order to assist with their efforts. As fireworks are going off all around you this weekend, you won't need to duck or take cover because someone else is working to keep you out of harm's way. Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com.
7/7/08 Date: 7/2/08
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