Sleep well America . . .

Wake up America. Our continued sleep will only bring nightmares from which we may not be roused. The lullaby is just too sweet.

When modern patriots are honored, the list is usually limited to those in military uniform; those who have faithfully obeyed the will of those in authority to protect and defend American interests as defined by those authorities. To be sure, the offering of one's life, or a part of it, to serve one's country in its military, is patriotism.

But there is another form of patriotism that is just as old, and maybe more uniquely American. The original American patriots were first rebels. Rebellious against oppression and exploitation by the King. Rebellious against suggestions that the America they invisioned would be more of the same.

When the rebels met in Philadelphia to address the problems created or unadressed by the Articles of Confederation, they did not arrive in lock-step. There was disagreement about whether the minutes of the convention should be taken by the secretary or by a committee. And so began the debate. And when the boys in Philadelphia thought they had hammered out a pretty reasonable document, they took it home to the states. It seems that the folks at home were still stinging from the last few years of George's (King, not President) reign. Many refused to accept the document fully. Though it was ratified, the dissent of the people was so great that the Bill of Rights, amending the constitution with protections for the individual against the excesses of the new centralized government, was added within five or six years. Later other rights would be fought for and won; the rights of slaves to be free and the rights of women to vote.

These rights were not gained by the benevolence of the government. They were fought for and wrenched from the clenched fists of the government by stubborn rebels. Patriots.

But now it has become patriotic to give away those precious gifts entrusted to us by our forefathers. Habeaus corpus, protection against search and seizure, the right to confront the accuser. Things that just get in the way of the government protecting us.

It is treasonous to question wiretaps, to suggest that detainees are entitled to habeas corpus, to complain about the use of torture, or to support a way that is different than the government has ordained.

So sleep well Patriots. And never notice that the lullaby sounds a lot like taps.