democracy the American dream of life, liberty, and

the pursuit of happiness. Maintaining our system of

individual freedoms is not easy and it's not free. It

requires a continued effort to maintain and grow it in

adherence to the principles on which it was founded. But

the unraveling of the fabric of our society and pervasive corruption

is choking our nation and undermining our freedoms.

Action must be taken or more of our rights will slip

through the cracks.

The very founding of the United States was based on rebellion

against oppression and suppression of individual rights

by the British government. Subsequently, the two governing

documents of our country, the Declaration of Independence

and the Constitution, were crafted to ensure and protect

those very rights. We must be a generation that reads,

believes, and defends these crucial documents.