Liberty? Libraries? Liberals? (ad libs ad nauseum)

For those of you who have seen Edge of Allegiance, you know that Lady Liberty makes an appearance in our little play.  
 
Did you know she has a secret? 
 

Did you know that according to the July 19th edition of Newsweek, the familiar photo of the tortured Abu Ghraib prisoner hooded and wired up has become known to Iraqis as

"the Statue of Liberty?"

 

Meanwhile, back in 2002 the Newark International Airport was renamed Newark Liberty International Airport.   It was renamed to "honor defenders of freedom and the heroes of Sept. 11."  George Carlin recently pointed out in an interview on Air America Radio that this is an attack on our language. (also known as doublespeak)  If those brave citizens who were working in the towers or flying on the planes on 9/11 had received phone calls that fateful morning warning them of the attacks, would they have chosen to go on with their plans -- thereby "defending our freedom and liberty?" Would you?   We are humans who wake up every morning wanting to have a good day.  Wanting to feed our families and learn something and share a good laugh with some friends when we can.  Just like our neighbors and our enemies.  I don't consider myself particularly brave or heroic, but I'll be damned if I'll sit idly by and let my true freedoms be attacked in the name of liberty.  And I'm talking about the freedom of speech and freedom to inform myself.  The P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act allows the FBI to sneak a peak at my library record but J. Edgar Asscroft won't allow police to sneak a peak at the gun buying practices of suspected terrorists.  Wooooooo-hooooooooo!  I'm proud to be an Americun where at least I know I'm free to shoot em up but not to read!  Thank you Laura Bush for using your sleeping privileges to influence that man o' yours.  Hail Liberty!