The Writer's Life 7/4 - American

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government...."

And so began the greatest country the world has known - the idea, the experiment. Sure, we've had our sins, but far fewer than other nations, and none has worked harder to rectify them than America. Certain elites scoff at this, openly deride this great land and its people - and many of them are rewarded handsomely for it, behavior that would bring incarceration, even death in some places. I went through a period of similar cynicism in my youth. Eventually, I realized that I was dissatisfied with myself, overwhelmed by the enormity of life and looking at the problem without rather than within. We are a land of abundance, prosperous even in difficult economic times. Our poor are fat, not starving. Free education is available to anyone willing to make an effort. Every American citizen has an opportunity to better himself/herself. The responsibility resides with the individual. He must choose whether to become a ward of government or stand on his/her own. I have opted for the writer's life. I want no assistance from government, no grant, no housing, no Medicaid, no free cell phone or food stamps, although I'd probably qualify for all of that given what I earn these days. I want to be free, to stand on my own through success or failure. I am an American.

I thank the gentleman who purchased Graham Greene's The Quiet American, and Mr. Almost, who took home another sci-fi novel in Russian, and Lev, who bought three others. And special thanks to the 84-year-old veteran, who donated a bunch of books, including Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation, which focuses on the awesome accomplishments of those Americans who came to the world's rescue in WWII.

Visit Vic’s sites:
Vic’s Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic’s Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic’s Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic’s 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic’s 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic’s Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f