American Dreamers

By Tammy Derouin

Forty-Five years ago the nation was celebrating an out of this world achievement; the moon landing.  I was in my infancy at the time so I have no actual memory of this event.  I do however, have the memory of growing up in a nation where dreams do come true.

The American space program, NASA, was the epitome of American ingenuity.  The moon landing was an extraordinary accomplishment.  The ability to fly was still relatively recent.  The Wright Brothers had their first successful flight in 1903.  Their air time was clocked by the second hand.  Desire, freedom and lack of government regulations and interference allowed the dream of flight to come true.  In just over 60 years, Americans went from seconds in the air to landing on the moon.

The United States was involved in a space race with the USSR.  They had their accomplishments as well, such as being the first in space.  They however, were missing a key component, freedom.  When individuals have the freedom to pursue their own dreams the blue sky is no longer the limit.  When individuals are forced to pursue the desire of the state, it kind of loses some of the grandeur of the accomplishment. 

Only in America could such accomplishments be realized at both the national and personal levels.  But so much has changed.  Failure was always a possibility.  We had the freedom to fail as well as succeed.  The consequences of failure ranged from financial ruin to death.  The government didn’t bail you out.  Living in freedom gave individuals the control to decide what comes after failure.  When the state owns you, the state decides what happens after failure.  

The desire to succeed comes from within, it’s human nature.  Competition is fuel and it drives an individual or a nation to push their limits.  Freedom to pursue your dreams puts you in the driver’s seat.  Where else but in America would an individual willingly strap himself in the cockpit of a rocket, on a launch pad, pointed at the heavens, and wait for just the right amount of fuel and fire to blastoff into the unknown?

Space travel was a dream, a fantasy, and a fictional story line.  Americans grabbed hold of that dream and made it the success, the reality of American dreamers.  So what happened?  The generation which has been called The Greatest Generation made many sacrifices while the world was at war.  They secured our freedom and prevented fascism, socialism and communism from making its way to our shore.  In the span of about twenty years, we went from destroying tyranny and oppression around the world, to inviting it into our homeland.  Why did so many turn on the very country that provided them with freedom? 

How do radicals, who attempted to destroy this country, have positions of honor in our educational system?  Bill Ayers co-founded the Weather Underground in 1969.  He proudly admits to bombing several public buildings including the U.S. Capital and the Pentagon.  Bill Ayers is an American elementary education theorist who worked in education reform and curriculum.  He is now retired with a title of Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois in Chicago.  What could possibly go wrong with radicals and our enemies controlling our educational system?

It has been reported that Obama’s first campaign for president was launched in Bill Ayers’ living room. President Obama, who may or may not have believable roots in the United States, has a mysterious background.  The information which has been uncovered is anything but American patriotism.  Obama was able to convince the nation, despite lack of so much basic information, that he was the one to lead the freest nation in the world.  He did so by stating he wanted to fundamentally transform America.  Now this same man, who incidentally won the Nobel Peace Prize, has created massive turmoil at home and around the world.  Why does a man of peace create so much war? 

Freedom gives individuals control of their destiny.  I want my girls to pursue their dream, wherever it may take them.  If that means they willingly strap themselves to a rocket, so be it.  If we allow our government to continue its assault on our freedoms, we will belong to the state.  The state will eventually decide, based on educational test scores, which path each individual will take.  Your dreams and desires will no longer matter.  The will and desire of the state will determine your existence.  When you become an expendable tool, strapping yourself to a rocket is no longer a choice.  If the tool breaks, the state gets a new one.

“It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth.”

Neil Armstrong