In America.

The United States was born in Philly. All the A list founders were here, Jefferson, Franklin, Hancock, Washington, and many other high schools and road names.
The Liberty Bell and Constitution Hall, have very powerful patriotic presence. When I read the words of the declaration of independence again in the square where they were first read to the people of this upstart colony and thought about what they were risking, for a concept for a try at something different, its pretty awe inspiring.
But its also very saddening, as there courage and opportunity is something utterly lost to the individuals in or society today. We sit in the midst of that same system they dreamed of rich with integrity and honesty, a system built on respect for humanity and freedom, yet the entire system has been hijacked by the greed of a few, and the freedoms that are protected are those of corporations and the individual citizen is left alone to defend him/herself from exploitation from these ultra protected citizens in the new aristocracy that the men that gathered in these halls risked there lives to change. But today we cannot rebel. We can barely voice concern as the very words to challenge concepts of popular beliefs have been emotionally charged with public scorn. If you bring up any concept that looks out for the population base the rhetoric starts the litany of dirty words.. "Welfare"-dirty, "socialism"=Commie=dirty, universal healthcare=false denial of freedom=dirty, election reform=unfair silencing of the rich=dirty, unions=corruption=dirty, "liberal"=immoral,simplistic=dirty.
I think the schooling in America is designed to produce under informed citizens so they never learn on a mass basis the true definitions of these words, or concepts, its the way to quell a revolution before it can ever start, by taking away all the words to describe the injustice that permeates this world. And I wonder where we all would be if some of the words in our declaration had been deemed unacceptable as some of our present words have been... What if equality was a radical idea reserved only for the bleeding hearts, or if freedom was the thought of those who were anti-business, and liberty, well look how bad that idea failed in France we don't want to repeat their mistakes....

Ok, I had to go through more security to see the liberty bell than I did to fly here. Police everywhere, guards everywhere, all making us behave, listen, line up, wait, look, stop, turn off, get out, at the birth place of American liberty. The irony, is not lost on every visitor. That 230 years later we have long ago peaked in the best of these truths that we all hold to be self evident. The homeless asleep in the streets that surround this lovely park, under newspapers quiet to the idea of another revolution, feel the equality in their cold bones. The black man guiding our tour, must see the divided city into black and white and wonder about the all men created equal, even as the smiling Mormon tourists edge him out of their pictures of this the holiest of places to the most gullible.
Well enough on the philosophical distress that we need to continue the fight for freedom from tyranny as Jefferson worded it, and let me say the Architecture of Philly is great. I'll put up some pics to showcase this then I'll write a funny commentary about somethin....