Lee Greenwood's patriotic anthem blared over the loud speackers last night. We were at a fireworks show sponsored by a church on a hill above the San Fernando Valley. It's a good show and has quickly become popular and crowded over the years.

But over the years the 4th has evolved. It used to be a celebration of America's birthday. Now it's seemingly usurped Memorial Day and quickly becoming a political marketing device. Instead of "Happy Birthday America" it was a constant call for support of our troops against terrorism.

Which brings me back to Lee Greenwood's anthem. It's wrong. It's almost anti-American. Besides the blatant disregard for separation of Church and State, there's a subtler statement which completely undermines what America is all about yet is precisely what the Government what you to believe. Find it yet?

"And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me."

How can any people be truly free if they must be beholden to a Government for the right? The song has it completely backwards. Our Government does not give us the right to be free. We did not give our Government our rights. We are free because we choose to be and with that we granted our Government whatever power we choose to give it.

That's the theory.

In reality, our Government is taking our rights under a variety of "reasons" - terrorism - and is quickly becoming what the Soviet Union was during Stalin - a police state where increased "security" comes with severely dminished human rights. where dissenters to the system are labelled as traitors ("You're either with us or for the terrorists" - Bush) and disappear to gulags or Gitmo.

So last night at the fireworks show I was torn between the messages being broadcast and what our country has become. I am proud to be an American but we need to remind our Government that it exists for us.

And the conservatives - sheep they are - have picked up this new mantra and are bleating it as the real reasons we're still in Iraq.

Except like most of the garbage coming out of the Bush Administration the logic isn't there.

Win or lose, fighting the insurgents in Iraq in no way guarantees that we won't have further terrorists acts in the U.S. and it's naive to think otherwise. Further, Bush tries to make it sound like ALL the terrorists are in Iraq fighting us and once eliminated that'll be that. Not true. Iraq has become a training ground. Likely, terrorist groups are rotating people in to give them hands-on experience learning how we wage war, then pulling some out. It's common news that the number of fighters has increased in Iraq, who says they're staying there? Iraq has become a training school but ask yourself, where do the graduates go?

Iraq is about Islam-based terrorism. Yet, the war in Iraq diverts attention from other types of terrorism, such as anti-abortionists who bomb clinics or animal activists who destroy labs. And yet...I don't get worked up over these types either.

Terrorism comes out of frustration, a feeling of powerlessness against an overwhelming system, tempered by fanaticism.

I'm not worried about terrorism as much as I am about what our Government has done in light of terrorism. The lying and manipulations, the distortions of facts. The corruption by religious and business factions. That disturbs me far more.

As a citizen living in Los Angeles, I'm not worried about terrorists blowing up Disneyland, I'm worried about gang violence. I'm not worried about terrorists poisoning the water supply, I'm worried more that I can't see the mountains half a mile away for all the smog.

The threat of Terrorism just doesn't justify all that has happened to counter the threat. Heck, with the Bush Administraion so neatly dividing the country, expect more home grown displays of disgust. Expect these displays, whether nonviolent or otherwise, to be labelled as pro-terrorist.

But Bush isn't done. Iraq will be the stepping stone to bring Democracy to the Middle East. Maybe. Does anyone reading this honestly believe that *IF* Iraq manages to become democratic and stay democratic, that - lo and behold! - all the other Arab countries will "see the light" and convert?

Very unlikely, especially with the Saudi ruling family sitting there with all that oil. Why are we building so many military bases in Iraq? Because Bush knows that Democracy won't magically spread in the Middle East and after Iraq comes, perhaps, Iran. You thought that Iraq was it? You ain't seen nothing yet.

It's not about Democracy. It's about power, it's politics and business. If it's the Middle East, it's about oil too. (Remember Bush is an oilman.) Reshaping the Middle East is about reshaping it for the U.S. and - by George! - nothing will stop us.

Except maybe...China.