Freedom

Earlier this week the United States of America celebrated her 230 birthday. Being so far removed from the events leading up to the signing of The Declaration of Independence we can not truly understand the emotions and desires of the founding fathers for their much sought after freedom. We have always been free during my lifetime. Sure we have had our enemies and our skirmishes but here in this country we have remained free. Because we have always been free I feel that we take that freedom for granted.

A bumper sticker on an old Ford pickup in Paragould read "Freedom is my right to smoke wherever I want, whenever I want.". The mentality of this person will be the downfall of this great country. Sure this person feels like he or she has the right to smoke at all cost, but I do not believe that is the freedom our forefathers fought for. We have to, as good citizens, be able to coexist together. And if that means not smoking wherever and whenever so that it might save the life of the person you live or work with then I think it must be done. A better bumper sticker would be "Because I am free, I will not smoke, in order to live peacefully."